Symphony
by DarkToLight
Summary: When the half-elves came to Iselia, they took something back with them: Lloyd Irving. -Pairings inside- -T for safety, nothing bad yet- -In-game timeline- -Better ? summary inside- ON HIATUS Hopefully back in August!
1. Chapter one: Beginnings

Hi guys

**Hi guys! **I _am_ alive, and I _will_ and I will update Promenade once I get some inspiration I promise, I promise. Anyhow, this is a fic asking: What if Lloyd was taken to the Ranch rather than fleeing Iselia? Plus a bunch of other stuff about Forcystus...

Planned pairings: Lloyd/Sheena, Genis/Presea, Forcystus/Raine, but I guess that might change.

Uses the game script in some places, the OVA script in others, and sometimes I just make stuff up.

**Disclaimer: I do not own ToS.**If I did, certain people wouldn't leave the world forever, you wouldn't have to kill certain people to get other certain people back, and Colette wouldn't be so... So... _Colette_.

**WARNING: CONTAINS GAME SPOILERS.** Don't read this unless a) You don't mind major spoilers or b) you've finished the game.

And also HUGE thanks to Katana of the Jade Wings, who has agreed to Beta this story and correct all my lovely mistakes, which I do make rather a lot of on occasion.

"_But, if I make a mistake, can't I just… Do it over again?"_

"…_Humph. 'Do it over'. If it's something you can do over again, then…feel free."_

Book One: Iselia Ranch

Chapter one: Beginnings

Lloyd was sleeping. To be fair, he had a good reason – he had been up all night finishing that present for Colette. Sure, the sun was in the sky, but they didn't leave until noon, so there was no rush.

"Lloyd… Lloyd!" Genis' voice cut across his dreams.

"Huh… Wha?" He murmured, sitting up. "Oh… I must've fallen asleep. What's the matter?" Genis had his 'how do I even deal with this guy…' look on his face coupled with worry, and that told Lloyd that something was wrong. Possibly very wrong.

"You idiot! Where were you?" Genis demanded. "Colette and the others left ages ago!" Lloyd jumped off the bed instantly.

"Wh-what? But she said…" he started, grabbing her freshly-made present from the table and already heading down the stairs. "Grah, why did she lie to me?" Dirk raised one eyebrow at him as he headed for the door. "Ah, I'm going out for a while, Dad," he told him sheepishly. "I have to go to the village." Dirk nodded.

"Aye. Take care," he replied, and Lloyd nodded and ran out of the house, grabbing his swords from by the door as he did so. Why had Colette told him the wrong time?

Noishe ran up to him, whining profusely.

"Ah, calm down, Noishe," Lloyd told him. Noishe whined again. "Seriously. What's been up with you? Ever since that incident in the Martel Temple…" Noishe whined again. _Kratos._ Lloyd shook his head, confused. He hated getting that weird noise in his head. What sort of weird noise, and why? Kratos' name? _Kratos._ "Gah, who cares about that stupid arrogant mercenary?" He muttered. "C'mon, Noishe, we're going." Noishe simply whined again as Lloyd got onto his back and gave Genis a hand up.

"Let's get going!" Genis insisted. Noishe whined again and set off, and although he looked reluctant when they got to the Iselia Forest, Lloyd encouraged him through. They had a brief speed burst when some monsters threatened, and Lloyd urged Noishe on himself when they passed the Ranch, but the journey through passed without incident.

"Ah, Lloyd. Phaidra was looking for you," a guard informed him when they arrived at the village. Lloyd jumped off Noishe, Genis following soon after, and Noishe whined and speedily vacated the entrance when the guard gave him a funny look.

"I'll go see her. Why did Colette give me the wrong time?" Lloyd murmured. He glanced back to make sure Noishe was well out of the way – he was – then set off in the direction of Phaidra's house.

"Ah, Lloyd…" Phaidra started as Lloyd entered, unannounced as usual.

"Phaidra! Is it true Colette already left?" he asked. It wasn't that he didn't trust Genis, but he had to hear it from Phaidra. How could Colette have done such a thing?

"…She asked me to give you this," Phaidra said in reply, handing him a letter. He took it, numb, and read it.

"This… This is practically a will…" He murmured. Phaidra sighed, her eyes sad.

"…You could call it that," she replied. Lloyd looked up sharply, confused, but before he could delve further there was the noise of an explosion from outside, and the house shook.

"Ah! Wh-what was that?" Genis exclaimed, running out of the house. Lloyd shook his head. Too much was happening all at once! With one final glance at Phaidra, he finally shook his head and ran out of the house.

The village was in flames.

"What…" Lloyd murmured, looking around. Everywhere, fire. Its red light cast a glow in the sky similar to those of the sunsets he had so often watched with Colette. _Sick._ Clouds were gathering in the sky overhead, dark grey clouds washed red by the fire. The colour of blood. Blood that surely must have been spilled for people to allow these fires to start…

"Hahaha! Burn! Burn!" A voice yelled from over to their left, and, turning, Lloyd and Genis saw the last thing they hoped for – two Desians.

"Are you sure about this? Lord Forcystus said…" The other started. The pyromaniac turned.

"C'mon. It's just a filthy village full of Inferiors. Who cares?" he responded, before his eyes fell on Lloyd and Genis. "More survivors! Let's kill 'em!" Lloyd drew his swords, a hate-filled look on his face.

"Lord Forcystus said…" the other one started, before shaking his head. "Fine, fine. But on your head be it!"

Genis cried out and raised his kendama to cast a spell as the Desians rushed Lloyd. Gritting his teeth, Lloyd beat them back with his wooden swords.

"Oooh, what you going to do, little worm? Give us splinters?" the first Desian mocked.

"Distract you," Lloyd replied simply as Genis cast Fire Ball. The Desian cried out as he burned, and Lloyd looked away as the smell of burning flesh filled the air. It lasted barely a second before the Desian died. The other backed away.

"…Can't we talk about this?" he asked. Lloyd's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword.

"Did you let the owner of that house talk things over?" he growled. The Desian swallowed nervously.

"Look… Hey." The Desian stopped, looking at Lloyd's bandaged hand. "You… What're you hiding, human?"

Lloyd growled, taking a step forwards before charging at the Desian, who blocked his sword swing.

"I'll kill you! You filthy scum, you killed my mother!" Lloyd yelled, hacking at him. "Demon Fang!" The Desian screamed out as the light hit him and he dissolved in a glow of mana.

"…Lloyd, he wanted to talk things over…" Genis murmured, shocked by Lloyd's violence. Lloyd shook his head, hands shaking.

"No… They're all the same," he spat. "They killed my mother… So I'll kill them." Genis bit his lip, worried by Lloyd's words.

"Wh… What about the rest of the town? We've got to help them, Lloyd!" He decided. Lloyd nodded, sheathing his swords and running with Genis in the direction of the school.

The smoke was starting to get thick in the air – it was almost impossible to distinguish the clouds from the billowing smoke. There was an acrid smell of death in the air as Lloyd and Genis fought back the Desian terrorising the man guarding the school, and although rain started to fall as they ran towards the main square, it did nothing to stop the out-of-control blaze.

"Lloyd Irving! Come forth!" a Desian shouted as the pair rushed into the square. All of the people of the village were being held at swordpoint, a turquoise-haired Desian at the centre of the group of Desians watching with a slightly troubled expression on his face. "Kill 'em one by one until he comes out," the captain ordered, but Lloyd stepped forward from the path.

"Wait. I am Lloyd," he told them. "And I will not let you do any more harm to the village! Was one attack not enough for you?"

The Desian who had demanded Lloyd frowned. "What are you talking about?" he murmured.

The turquoise-haired half-elf shook his head. "He speaks nonsense, ignore him," he ordered curtly. "…Lloyd. Well, well. Listen up, inferior beings!" He was addressing the group of humans held captive rather than Lloyd. "I am Forcystus, one of the five Desian Grand Cardinals!" There were gasps and murmurings from the crowd, which made Forcystus shake his head slightly in despair. Lloyd gripped his swords tightly. He was not going to let any Desian waltz in and burn the village, Grand Cardinal or no. "I am a… Superior half-elf who rules over the farm where we cultivate you pathetic humans," Forcystus continued, throwing a quick glance back at Lloyd and making a slight noise of irritation.

"…A half-elf," Genis murmured, sounding dismayed. Forcystus' gaze fell on him, and he turned to face Lloyd once more, the expression on his face unreadable. All Lloyd could see was… Pity? From a Desian?

"You, Lloyd Irving, have been found guilty of violating the non-aggression treaty and trespassing upon the Ranch lands. Therefore, I bring… judgment upon you, and this village!" He seemed to hesitate over the word 'judgment', but the pause was so brief it was barely noticeable.

"You violated the treaty first! You killed the Temple Priests and tried to kill Colette!" Lloyd cried out, angry. Forcystus frowned slightly.

"Ah, I see! They must be after the Chosen!" the captain realised. Forcystus shrugged, uncaring.

"Are you saying you aren't the ones who attacked Colette?" Lloyd demanded, clearly disbelieving. The captain laughed.

"Us, kill the Chosen?" he replied, as if the idea were pure stupidity.

Forcystus twitched and quieted him with a glare. "We have no need to explain ourselves to you. All that matters is that you have been in contact with Host Body F192 and attacked and killed our guards. Not overlooking the fact that you trespassed on Ranch property and ran about on top of the gate."

Lloyd glared at him. None of this made any sense! Why wouldn't they attack Colette? And the people at the Temple had clearly been dressed in Desian uniforms; they had been identical to the ones these half-elves here were wearing, Forcystus excluded.

"We have prepared a punishment fitting for your crime!" Forcystus continued, nodding to the guards behind him and stepping out of the way. "If, by some chance, you survive this, then you will be arrested and taken to the Ranch!"

"I would die before I let you filthy Desians get me," Lloyd growled. Forcystus rolled his eyes.

"Humans… So foolish," he decided, looking over his shoulder as a horrible sound split the air and a horrific monster lurched into the town. Several townspeople cried out in horror, and one woman fainted.

"Wh-what is that thing?" Genis cried out, horrified. Lloyd frowned, unable to shake the feeling that he'd seen a similar aberration before. His Exsphere flashed brightly, burning through the bandages he'd put in place, and he felt the familiar rush of power it gave him.

"I won't give up, no matter what," he muttered.

"I'll help you, Lloyd!" Genis promised, rushing forwards. Forcystus' eyes went to Lloyd's Exsphere.

"That's…" He murmured, frowning, as Lloyd blocked a swing from the creature and slashed at it with his swords. "He's Lord Aurion's boy, as we thought…" Genis cast magic on the thing as Lloyd beat it back with a Demon Fang. "…I can't let the Exbelua kill him… Lord Aurion ordered me to keep him safe…" Lloyd jumped back as the creature tried to crush him, panting heavily, then rushed forwards again, slashing out as Genis' magic hit it dead on. "Although it doesn't look as though I will have to interfere, just to arrest him will be enough…"

"Sir?" The captain asked, looking slightly worried. "Should we…" Forcystus shook his head.

"Leave them. Even if they kill it, we can simply arrest him and take him back. He will make a nice addition to our Ranch. If you idiots hadn't set the town aflame we would have had more, too."

The captain winced and nodded. "Yes sir," he replied instantly. Forcystus grumbled under his breath and took a step forward as Lloyd and Genis took yet another shot at the creature, only to be grabbed from behind by it.

"Lord Forcystus!" The captain cried, rushing forwards.

"No, idiots! Get the boy!" Forcystus cried out, struggling in its strong grip. _Did Lord Aurion fear this, when A012… Anna…?_

"…_Lloyd… Genis…_" The voice of the human Forcystus had turned into an Exbelua, came from the monster. _"Run… away…_"

"That… that sounded like… Marble…" Genis murmured, horrified.

"Grab the boy! Imbeciles! Follow an order for once in your life!" Forcystus yelled as the Desians tried to beat back the Exbelua. "Grah, you pathetic excuses for soldiers!"

"_Genis… you were like a Grandson to me…_" Marble murmured. "_Now, go!_" The soldiers retreated with cries of worry as the monster gathered mana around itself, and Forcystus braced himself. The explosion that resulted made him fall to the floor, and he heard the Exsphere hit the ground in front of him.

"Protect Lord Forcystus!" One of the soldiers cried, and they gathered around him again. Forcystus struggled to his feet.

"One… simple order…" Forcystus growled. Genis had picked up Marble's Exsphere and was staring at it, dumbfounded. "Ugh… Fine!" He staggered forwards and grabbed Lloyd, who cried out, not having expected an attack from the wounded Desian.

"Ah! No!" He cried out.

"You… Lloyd Irving… are under arrest," he growled in the teen's ear, hitting him hard around the side of the head. He went limp in his grip.

"Lloyd! No! NO!" Genis cried out, spinning around. Forcystus, panting heavily from the injuries the explosion had given him, looked the young boy in the eye.

"…Flee the village. Get to the Chosen, half-elf. There's nothing left for you here," he murmured. "It's all you can do, no?" Genis yelled out, enraged, and ran forwards at Forcystus, but he was stopped by soldiers' swords. "If you idiots had just done as asked, this problem would have been resolved a lot more easily!" Forcystus barked at the troops around him. "Back to the Ranch, now! You are all in a great deal of trouble!" He turned to face the mayor. "…The crime has been paid for. The Treaty still stands. Agreed?" The Mayor nodded hurriedly. "Good. I expect no more trouble of this sort in future; else I may not be so forgiving or lenient. Most of you got to keep your lives today. Don't expect to stay free if I have a repeat. Understood?" The terrified villagers all nodded, not even making a move to help Lloyd, who was limp in Forcystus' grip. "Good," Forcystus murmured, passing Lloyd to his captain. "Come on, we've wasted enough time here." And with that, the Desians left Iselia.

**A/N** – this has caused confusion with the few people who have read this story so far, so, to clarify: The "weird noise in Lloyd's head" is, in fact, Noishe speaking. He says Kratos' name because, as we all (some) know, he travelled with Kratos before.

I always did wonder why he turned up at the village unannounced, XD

Anyhow, if I get reviews, I'll post some more up. If not, I guess nobody will miss it, hey?


	2. Chapter two: Captive

**Hi guys **

Chapter two here, Lloyd's introduction to the Ranch. The next chapter won't be uploaded for at last a week, however, as I am going on holiday and have no access to the internet. Sorry

Well, there is an OC, but only because I had to name a Desian.

**Disclaimer**: Own ToS? I wish.

And of course, a big thankyou to Katana of the Jade Wings, this story's beta. You're a big help, Kat

Chapter two: Captive

_Ugh… Where am I…? What happened?_ Lloyd wondered as he came to. His vision was fuzzy; and his memory was acting up. _I can't remember anything…_ He sat up and looked around him, confused. The walls were harsh metal, and there were bars across the exit. _A… prison cell? No… the Desians!_ Suddenly, everything came rushing back. The Desian attack, that half-elf, Forcystus… Marble… That horrible creature they'd turned her into… _Oh, Martel… What will they have done to Genis?_ he wondered, rubbing his head ruefully. That Desian sure had one hell of a punch.

Quickly, Lloyd checked himself over. He still had the Sorcerer's Ring, but his swords had been removed along with their scabbards. So, he could get out of the cell, maybe, but if he came across any guards, he was doomed.

Still, there was no harm in trying.

It took him about two minutes to open the door. Luckily, there was no guard on patrol, which despite being slightly odd wasn't going to make Lloyd complain. Once the door was open, he peered up and down the corridor. Nothing. No sign of anything. If he was in the Ranch, the security was pretty poor.

He made his way down that corridor until he came to what seemed to be a wall of red light. Frowning, he fired a shot from the Sorcerer's Ring through it experimentally. When nothing bad seemed to happen to the fireball, he reached out for it tentatively…

"I wouldn't," a voice cut in, and Lloyd spun around to see none other than Forcystus. "You see, that light is a laser." Lloyd tensed as the half-elf walked up to him, but Forcystus simply laughed. "These… pretty lights…" Lloyd growled angrily at the patronising tone in the Desian's voice. "They send a charge through the body. Everyone in the Ranch has a chip implanted into their arm. If you've got a chip, the charge is dissipated harmlessly. If not…" Forcystus stuck his arm through the laser to demonstrate the lack of ill effects on himself. "You, my dear Lloyd, would be fried in an instant."

"I am not your dear anything, Desian!" Lloyd spat. Forcystus laughed.

"Perhaps not, no," he replied. "But you would still be fried." Lloyd looked from Forcystus to the 'laser', wondering how to know if the Desian was telling the truth. However, since the only way to find out would be to risk being fried, Lloyd reluctantly decided to believe him.

"Why am I here?" He demanded. "Let me go!" Forcystus shook his head.

"Now that I cannot do," he responded, turning and starting to walk down the corridor. Lloyd cursed softly under his breath and ran after him.

"Why not?" He demanded. "Haven't I suffered enough for breaking your damned treaty? How was I to know you didn't attack Colette? It certainly seemed that way to me!" Forcystus shrugged.

"They were Renegades," he responded. "A rebel group that we cannot do much about, unfortunately. And you will be pleased to know that the punishment for breaking the Treaty would normally be death. However, a member of… the management, shall we say… has intervened on your behalf. I am still holding you at the Ranch, though." Lloyd glared at him.

"Why would some Desian want me kept alive?" He demanded. Forcystus laughed.

"Desian? No, no Desian would," he replied. "Hm… I appear to have answered a lot of questions without asking any of my own. But first, Lloyd… let me tell you some of the rules." Lloyd stiffened as Forcystus turned to face him. "I am not 'Desian'. I am Forcystus Hakoda. But that will be Lord Forcystus to a human."

"I will never call you 'Lord'," Lloyd spat. Forcystus laughed.

"That was a good start," he replied, and Lloyd frowned. Had he just… been tricked? "Secondly. This is my ranch, and you are my prisoner. So you will follow my rules. I have been kind enough to you; you've still got your little trinket and your Exsphere. And you are not currently being made a host for a new Exsphere. So be grateful."

Lloyd frowned. "A host?" he asked, confused.

Forcystus sighed and shook his head. "One thing about keeping you humans in the dark… I've had to go over this so many times…" He sighed. "An Exsphere is made by fusing the basic stone with a human and allowing it to feed off the mana within that body. Once the Exsphere is complete, it unleashes, and we harvest them. Usually before they unleash, however. I can't be dealing with Exbeluas running around all over." Lloyd looked horrified.

"Y-you mean… That creature… Th-that was really that old woman… Th-that was Marble?" He asked, sickened. Forcystus nodded.

"F192," he responded. "Human name Marble." Lloyd screamed out in rage and flung himself at Forcystus, who easily turned the tables on the boy and pinned Lloyd to the wall with one hand.

"You… you!" Lloyd screamed. Forcystus shook his head.

"Calm down," he ordered. Lloyd just screamed in anger again and struggled harder. "I said calm down!" Wind magic started to form around Forcystus, and Lloyd fell silent, suitably scared. Forcystus nodded in approval and released him. "Learn to control your anger. You will meet many more things you do not like in this Ranch, and I cannot be dragging you off my officers. That would just be troublesome, and when something is troublesome to me… I remove it." Lloyd shook his head slowly, knowing full well what that meant. He couldn't let himself be killed. He had to escape this horrible place, this Ranch of death. He had to get to Colette, to help her! And what about…

"Genis. What did you do to Genis?" He asked suddenly.

"Genis?" Forcystus asked. Lloyd swallowed.

"Th-the elf I was with," he replied. Forcystus laughed lowly.

"Oh… Of course. The _elf_," he replied. "I let him go, of course. I had no interest in him, you were my only target. They shouldn't have burned the village either, strictly speaking, but it can't be helped. Idiots can't follow a few simple orders…" He shook his head. "I believe he has taken your… Dog. I will check for you if you really wish it… Lloyd." Lloyd nodded slowly. Why was this Desian being so co-operative? Why was he answering his questions? What was so special about him that some high-ranking Desian - or even someone above the Desians, as Forcystus had said - would intervene and save him from execution? "Come," Forcystus ordered, and Lloyd nodded and followed. He was willing to be obedient if it let him find out about Genis.

The Cardinal led him down a maze of corridors and had to take him through one set of laser lights by holding his hand, which irritated Lloyd intensely but also seemed to bother the Desian, which made it slightly better. Eventually, they arrived at the Control room, where a Desian Lloyd didn't recognise was sat at a set of very technical-looking objects.

"Ah, Roy, can I borrow a monitor?" Forcystus asked. The Desian turned.

"Lord Forcystus! Of course… you brought the human with you?" He asked. Forcystus nodded curtly.

"Orders are orders," he replied, going over to the abandoned chair. "Lloyd! Come here. Don't stare." Lloyd grumbled under his breath and gave 'Roy' an evil glare as he walked over. The Desian chuckled.

"You've got a wild card on your hands, sir," he remarked.

Forcystus sighed. "If the stupid boy just did as he was told it would make my life a lot easier. Ah, here we go. What's your… elven… friend's last name?"

"Sage," Lloyd replied, feeling slightly ill-at-ease. They were talking about him like he wasn't there, and it worried him.

"Sage. Right. Genis Sage… Any relation to Raine?" He murmured. "I know of her." Lloyd stayed stubbornly silent. Forcystus sighed, typing a few things into the computer and waiting. "Be that way, then. You'll change," he murmured, making a slight noise as a beeping noise was made by the computer and a map with a flashing dot appeared from nowhere. "He's… With the Chosen's group by the looks of it," Forcystus told Lloyd, turning. "Satisfied?" Lloyd grumbled under his breath.

"You'd better not go after Colette," he growled. Forcystus sighed.

"How many times do I have to tell you? We didn't go after the Chosen and have no intention of doing so! What are you, stupid?" He stood up. "Sorry about that," he apologised to the Desian who had originally been at the computers.

"It is no bother, Lord Forcystus," he replied. Forcystus made a 'tch' noise.

"Lloyd, come with me," he ordered. "I have a nice new prison cell to introduce you to."

"No," Lloyd spat stubbornly. Genis was safe, he was with Colette, and Raine and Kratos could protect him. Like hell was he going to be a good little boy now. Forcystus frowned.

"Now, Lloyd," he insisted. "I am not a patient man."

"And don't we know it, my Lord," Roy murmured, taking the computer back over and tapping a few keys. Forcystus glared.

"Not helping, Roy. Lloyd, now."

"No! I'm not listening to you, Desian! You filthy… creatures, you slaughtered my mother!" Lloyd yelled, backing away, brandishing the Sorcerer's Ring like a weapon. Forcystus made a frustrated noise.

"Lloyd… That was not us. We did not kill her," he replied. "Well, I certainly had no part in it. Kvar certainly led to her death, but it was not actually a Desian that struck her down. It was… well, it was no Desian."

"Liar!" Lloyd yelled, taking up a defensive stance. "My dad told me so! You killed her! He found her at the bottom of the cliff, bleeding to death! You, your horrible ranch, YOU KILLED HER!"

"…Definitely a wild card," Roy murmured. Forcystus growled under his breath.

"_Not helpful_, Roy," he muttered. "I swear. What reason have I to lie to you, Lloyd? You are my prisoner. I can do anything I want to you. Lying is highly unnecessary." Lloyd shivered at that. It was true. He was a prisoner… but he didn't have to make it easy. Forcystus had said himself that someone higher than him wanted Lloyd kept alive. So, that must mean that Forcystus couldn't kill him, no matter what…

"She died. She died, outside this Ranch, and what other reason is there for her to be so wounded?" Lloyd growled. "I don't trust you, Desian." Forcystus sighed again.

"You are a very irritating person, Lloyd Irving," he muttered. "If I have to beat some sense into you, I will do so. I would rather you co-operated willingly, however. I did not have anything to do with the death of your mother. Indeed, I owe something to your parents. So please, I would appreciate it if you didn't point that ring at me." Lloyd hissed through his teeth and sent its magic at Forcystus, who put his hand out. The fireball impacted about an inch in front of it, striking a green barrier rather than Forcystus. "Very well," Forcystus murmured. "If that's the way you wish to do things, so be it. Although I did not want to do this…"

"Liar," Lloyd growled. Forcystus looked at him, a strange look in his eyes.

"So…" He murmured, taking a step forward. "Every Desian is a filthy murderer? Every Desian is evil?"

"Every human is inferior?" Lloyd countered, his voice dangerous. Forcystus sighed and shook his head.

"…Perhaps not," he whispered. "Guards!" Lloyd shrank back from the door, afraid now. Perhaps raising a weapon, even only the Sorcerer's Ring, to a Grand Cardinal, had been a bad idea. "Go and teach our new guest some respect," he told them.

"Yes, Sir!" they chorused, grabbing Lloyd – who struggled violently – and hauling him out of the room, to shouts of protest. Forcystus shook his head as he watched that.

"I gave him every option; I offered him so many chances…" He murmured. "Why does he insist on making himself my enemy?" Roy shrugged.

"You razed his village and are holding him prisoner, Sir?" he offered. Forcystus made a frustrated noise.

"I don't want to be his enemy, damn it all! If not for Lord Aurion's request I would have just left him alone. Kill Anna! Stupidity…" He kicked the floor. "Stupid, stubborn human! When I was his age…" He trailed off and shook his head. "Who am I trying to kid? I was a prisoner when I was his age, and I behaved exactly the same… I'd better go make sure those idiots don't kill him…"

"Good luck, my Lord," Roy replied absently, not looking up from his monitor as Forcystus stalked out.

Lloyd cried out as he was pushed roughly against a wall. The room he was in was stark, empty. Nothing but cold metal.

"You think you can raise a hand to Lord Forcystus, you inferior worm?" one of the guards spat. Vermin is good too. : ) Lloyd raised one hand up to his face as if to protect himself, glaring viciously at the guards.

"You little maggot. You've caused Lord Forcystus a lot of trouble already. Don't know why he doesn't just kill you," another one remarked.

"Y-you dare touch me. You dare!" Lloyd yelled desperately, scampering into one corner. _Mom… Please… I need your help, now more than ever…_The Exsphere shone briefly, and the guards noticed it, and he felt that familiar warm feeling. That power. He didn't know what he could do without any sort of weapon, but at least it could keep him alive.

One of the guards hauled him up by the collar. "Oh, we dare all right, you inferior insect," he whispered, throwing Lloyd into the centre of the room. Another guard kicked him, hard, in the side, and Lloyd cried out and clutched at the injured spot. Another held a staff over him, mana gathering around it.

"Wait!" Forcystus entered then, and all of the room's occupants looked at him, the guards bowing. "No magic. You'll kill him."

"But, Lord Forcystus…" One started. Forcystus shook his head.

"I said no. I want him in one piece, do you understand me? And if that Exsphere breaks, you will have me to answer to. And it won't just be your Exspheres that will be breaking." Lloyd shuddered at that. "_Alive_. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, Lord Forcystus," they chorused.

"No magic. No… breaking anything. He may be a problem child, but we've orders from Cruxis, you understand me?"

"Yes, Lord Forcystus," they chorused again. Lloyd blinked. Had he heard right? Had Forcystus just said that the Desians answered to the _church_? To the angels of Cruxis?

"Good. Lord Aurion will be greatly displeased if he is much harmed. Continue. I will be checking on him later," Forcystus replied, turning to go.

"W-wait! …Lord Forcystus!" Lloyd cried, deciding that in his current situation it would be wise to play it safe. Forcystus waited. "You said… Cruxis. You had orders from Cruxis. Why would the Desians answer to the church of Martel?"

Forcystus laughed bitterly. "You know so blessedly little. Keep it that way," he responded, and he left the room before Lloyd could question him further.

He paused outside in the corridor as the door slid shut, listening to Lloyd cry out as one of the guards hit him and shook his head. "Being here is not the best thing for him at all…" Forcystus murmured. "He will suffer. He will lose that innocence he has. He will learn things he shouldn't have learnt. So what are you protecting him from, Lord Aurion? From the dangers that would have made him stronger? Or… from yourself?" He sighed and shook his head, walking away. He could turn his back to it for now. He had little choice, in the end.

**A/N**: you like? Please review with comments/suggestions for improvement. But please don't flame. They hurt me cringes


	3. Chapter three: Judgement

**Hello again!** Sorry about the long wait, I've heard nothing from my beta for a while... So I thought I'd put up the unbeta'd version since it's been a while

As ever, reviews are appreciated and make me happy, reviewers get a virtual cookie. Maybe if I start getting into high numbers I'll offer a free oneshot for, say, 25th review... Suggestions welcome :)

**Disclaimer**: Not mine. Really, what sort of stupid person would think I was claiming it was?

* * *

Chapter three: Judgement

"Please… Stop, please…" Lloyd begged, both hands in front of his face to try and ward off his attackers. The Desians looked at each other and laughed, one of them raising a whip. Lloyd whimpered and tried desperately to hide.

"Cease! That is enough." Forcystus' voice cut across his thoughts, and no pain came. Lloyd looked up, confused. Forcystus was stood there, looking highly irritated, and the guards had backed off respectfully. "Lloyd. Can you stand?" He asked. Lloyd hesitantly tried, scrabbling for some sort of support on the metal walls and finding none.

"Lord Forcystus wants you to stand, so stand, vermin," one guard barked.

"Y-yes, yes sir," Lloyd stammered, pushing himself up to his knees. "I… I'm sorry, L-lord Forcystus… I c-can't…" One guard started towards him angrily, but Forcystus stopped him.

"Stand down," he told them. "You are dismissed." He sighed. "…You've done a good job." The guards bowed and left, and Forcystus walked over to Lloyd, who flinched away from him. "Oh, come now. You can't be so broken already," he murmured gently. Lloyd looked up, confused. "You're a strong young boy," Forcystus replied. "One beating can't have taken all your spirit away, surely?" Lloyd frowned, pulling away when Forcystus tried to take his arm to help him up. Forcystus smiled. "That's the spirit," he replied. "Now, get up, come on." Lloyd just stared at him.

"…I don't get you," he decided eventually. Forcystus shrugged. "You have me beaten, then tell me not to be broken by it? That's not logical at all." Forcystus laughed.

"Perhaps not," he replied with a smile. "Forgive me for saying so, but I have an appearance to keep up. You use that Ring of yours on me, then I have to have you beaten. By rights, I should have had you beaten each time you didn't use my title, but I'm in a good mood today." Lloyd glared.

"What, because you burned the village and killed people?" He growled. Forcystus sighed.

"No, Lloyd," he replied. "I did not mean for the village to be burned, and the killing was a waste."

"Because you could have knocked them out and carried them back to the Ranch to work them to death?" Lloyd spat. Forcystus frowned.

"Are you trying to ruin my mood? Would you particularly _like_ to be beaten again?" He asked. Lloyd glared at him.

"You're no different," he muttered. Forcystus raised an eyebrow.

"Testing me?" He asked. Lloyd started to say something, but he cut him off with a shake of his head. "Weren't you listening, Lloyd? I didn't want the village burned." Lloyd remembered the Desian's words to the first one they'd killed.

"_Are you sure about this? Lord Forcystus said…_"

"I thought it a stupid and pointless waste of life. Why else would I have a non-aggression treaty with them? Geez…" He shook his head. "You're special, Lloyd. I am supposed to be protecting you… Guess I don't seem to be doing a good job to you, but really I am. Yes, you broke the rules. But you're alive. No other Desian Cardinal would have kept you alive. You would have been dead and your Exsphere removed like that." He clicked his fingers to emphasise his point. Lloyd shuddered.

"But, you said that…" He murmured. Forcystus shook his head.

"They wouldn't have listened. But I owe Lord Aurion a debt," Forcystus replied. "That's all. So get up. Come on. Be strong and defiant like you were before. I dare you." Forcystus smiled, and Lloyd gritted his teeth and pulled himself to his feet, using Forcystus to claw his way up to a standing position. He looked the Cardinal in the eye.

"You have not won me over," he told him defiantly. "You're a Desian. You're evil. Nothing is going to change that. Maybe you're a bit different… But it's probably lies anyway. I hate you and I certainly don't trust you."

"Good," Forcystus replied. "Now, come on. I'll find you something to eat."

Lloyd was surprised to find that the Ranch food was good. Forcystus was keeping a close eye on him while he ate, but otherwise nothing bad was done to him. Forcystus had even healed his wounds for him, which had surprised him. He'd muttered irritably under his breath about violent types while he'd done it, too. The first conclusion that Lloyd had come to from that was that First Aid was now his favourite magic.

"Mmm… This is nice…" He murmured. Forcystus smiled faintly.

"I'm glad you appreciate it," he replied, sitting down next to him. "How many meals a day do you think the other humans at this Ranch get?" Lloyd looked at him, confused.

"I dunno… two?" he replied. Forcystus shook his head.

"Meals are given out strictly as rewards," he replied. "Although there is a limit to the amount of time a human can go without a meal. We don't want them dying early." Lloyd gaped at him.

"That's… That's horrific!" He exclaimed, wondering where the encouraging Forcystus had suddenly disappeared to. Not that he trusted him…

"That's life," he replied. "It helps encourage them to work and not cause trouble."

"But… They'll be starving, then they'll do worse! How can you put them through that?" Lloyd demanded. "You've got no idea what that must be like! It must be horrible!" Forcystus shook his head slowly.

"Quick to judge, aren't you?" He asked. "This is what I thought. You presume all Desians to have had easy lives, that we do these things to humans because we find it… Fun?" Lloyd looked at him, confused. "A lot of half-elves join because they have been persecuted against by humans." He drummed his fingers on the table. "A good 30 of Desians have at some point or another suffered similar treatment to that which we put you humans through." Lloyd looked at him.

"Have you?" He asked. Forcystus laughed bitterly.

"Forward, aren't you?" he remarked. "I'm a Grand Cardinal, Lloyd. I shouldn't tell you that sort of thing. And I note that you have already forgotten my title." Lloyd decided that the answer to that question was a yes, and resolved to get more out of him. If he was going to be held prisoner he was going to cause trouble. Lots of it. Forcystus wouldn't be able to stand him soon if he could help it.

The next week passed without much incident from Lloyd. He let Forcystus lock him in a cell and tell him in no uncertain terms that if he tried to escape the laser would fry him, orders or no orders. Lloyd stayed in the cell. He ate all his meals, despite feelings of guilt at what the other humans in the Ranch were getting – or rather, weren't getting. He followed all the orders he was given, and he used all the titles he was told to. Overall, he was causing Forcystus a lot of confusion.

"…I don't get it," he murmured. "He was so defiant, and now… This? What is he trying to do, lull me into a false sense of security?" Roy shrugged.

"Probably, Sir. You have to watch yourself with that one," he warned. Forcystus sighed and ran one hand through his hair.

"How difficult can one human be?" He murmured. "Lloyd Aurion… Huh. He is most definitely his father's son." He stood up. "He deserves some exercise. I'll let him train with me today." Roy raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure that's wise, Sir?" He asked. Forcystus made an irritated noise.

"I'm not keeping him in that cell his whole life. He needs some freedom," he replied. "He isn't really a prisoner. It's just a technical term for the rest of the Desians here, you know?" Forcystus sighed and ran one hand through his hair. "Typical of Cruxis to cause us problems. They could have just said 'leave the boy alone', but no, it had to be, 'look after the boy'. Look after a human? In a Ranch? He may be of Cruxis, but we are Desians! What was Lord Aurion thinking?" Forcystus scuffed one foot on the floor. "Anyway. Keep an eye on the surveillance for me. If the Chosen is really stupid, she might even come back for him." Roy nodded.

"Will do, Sir," he replied, bringing up the surveillance screen as told as Forcystus walked out to go and find Lloyd.

"Lloyd!" The boy looked up at the sound of the Grand Cardinal's voice, but didn't bother to get up. The prison cell door was locked, anyhow.

"Yeah?" He asked nonchalantly. Forcystus frowned. So, obedient Lloyd was gone. He just wondered whether that boded well… Or badly.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" He prompted, walking right up to the bars. Lloyd met his gaze.

"Dunno. I wasn't fed this morning," he replied, looking hurt. Forcystus sighed.

"Well, you'll likely be fed less if you don't start being respectful," he informed him. _He wasn't fed? What are those idiots playing at? He's done absolutely nothing wrong!_

"You don't deserve respect, Desian," he spat. Forcystus grabbed the bars of the cell threateningly.

"At least I don't call you by number!" He spat harshly, making Lloyd recoil slightly. "Don't think you don't have one, oh, no," he continued, rattling the bars. "Rule number 31! All inferior beings held at the Ranch will have a designation number, human L025!" Lloyd flinched at the tone in his voice, starting to regret his behaviour. "Why do I even bother trying with you? I was going to let you train with me, but clearly you don't want nor appreciate the opportunities we give you!"

"Train? With you?" Lloyd repeated. "…Why?" Forcystus sighed, letting go of the cell bars.

"Because you've been kept in there for a week, that's why," he replied. "It's not fair not to let you out at all. Besides, you need the exercise."

"But… I fight with swords… L-lord Forcystus," Lloyd continued, confused. Forcystus smiled slightly. Finally, he was being good again, so he wouldn't have to punish him. Lloyd really did love treading on eggshells.

"So do I. At least, I used to," he informed Lloyd, keying in the door release code. The cell opened without a sound, and Lloyd stood, confused. "Come on. I'll forgive you this once," he told Lloyd, who nodded and quickly ran to his side. "I might even let you have your own swords," he continued as they walked, Lloyd recoiling every time they passed the security lights. He hated the ones that moved. He had had to jump out of the way of them on more than one occasion as the guards had led him around. Forcystus, however, just made the 'tch' noise he was so fond of making and clicked his fingers. The lights deactivated.

"H-how do you do that? Lord Forcystus." Lloyd asked, astonished, but still hastily adding the title on the end.

"Magic," Forcystus replied with a slight smile. "Actually, mana. Most of the systems in the Ranch are controlled by mana switches. That's why we don't have too many of them. I'm sure I can hook your Sorcerer's Ring up to one of the machines so you can have some degree of control, too." Lloyd's face lit up. Could he really turn off the security fields? "But you'd have to be careful. Use up too much of your body's mana, and you die. And the full-corridor lights are permanent; you'll be pleased to know. The only way you'll get through those is if you're chipped." Lloyd's face fell.

"Well…" He started, but Forcystus shook his head.

"No, Lloyd, I am not giving you a chip. You're a prisoner. I can't have you running about all over the place. And don't say that cell keeps you in, I get the feeling you're the sort of kid who'd be out in a second if he thought it was worth it. You got out once. I'm not stupid." Lloyd's face fell further. It had been worth a try. Forcystus looked at his glum expression and laughed. "What? You thought I'd fall for that? Not a chance," he replied. "I don't mind hooking your ring up, though. Just promise me you'll be careful. I can't have you dying on me, now." Lloyd nodded instantly. Any opportunity to be able to shut down security was one he was taking. "I'll do that now, if you like," Forcystus continued. "I haven't anything else to be doing." Lloyd nodded instantly. Forcystus looked at him, a slight smile on his lips. "You're quiet, Lloyd. Did I scare you?"

"No," Lloyd muttered stubbornly. "…Lord Forcystus." Forcystus laughed softly.

"I see," he replied. "This way." Lloyd followed him, looking less enthusiastic now. Somehow, he'd let the Desian get the better of him. That had not been part of the plan at all. How did he do it? "Here," Forcystus told Lloyd once they reached a strange-looking machine with what looked like a well of mana on the top of it. "Put the gem of the Ring in that indent, there." Lloyd nodded and did so, yelping and pulling it away seconds later when the ring flashed. Forcystus frowned. "That's strange… I didn't touch anything," he remarked. Lloyd pointed the ring at the nearest wall and used its power, and was highly surprised when mana flowed out from it. He also felt a little more tired than he had been a second ago. "Ah, wonderful," Forcystus remarked. "It's done something at least. You'll be able to open the doors, although I doubt that will stop the lights, which was really my intention… Ah, well. You can't have everything, I guess."

_Guess the guards can still have fun seeing how quickly I dodge the lights, then, _Lloyd thought mournfully, looking at his ring. "Will I… Be able to get it back to normal? Lord Forcystus." Forcystus nodded.

"Considering the automatic reaction of the ring to the well, I would think if you put it back in it should switch back. And of course, it's a Sorcerer's ring. After a while, it will revert back to normal anyway. Tell me if that happens, I'll bring you back here." Lloyd nodded. Forcystus sighed and walked back down the corridor slightly. "Well, come on, then. I didn't bring you out here just to play with your little toy. You've got work to do." Lloyd muttered under his breath about irritating Desians, and ran to catch up as Forcystus walked away down the corridor. The security lights came back on with a clap of Forcystus' hands, and that served as a very encouraging reason for Lloyd to keep up.

_How does he know about the Sorcerer's Ring, anyway?_

**_A/N_**: Aha, Lloyd wonders...

R&R please, reviews make me happy It's nice to know you've added a story to an alert list, but sometimes you want to know _why_, y'know?


	4. Chapter four: Aurion Blood

**Boo!**

Thanks to all my reviewers. You can have a free Forcystus. Treat him nice.

I've decided to make Forcy's arm under the cannon whole in this. If anyone can point me to a specific section of the game that says otherwise I'd like to know, but I feel it works better if he has two arms.

Enjoy :)

**Disclaimer: **Exactly what I said in the first three chapters. I make no money from this etc. etc. Do I really still need to bother with this?

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Chapter four: Aurion blood.

"Here. Catch." Lloyd caught the wooden sword thrown to him, and had to grab for a second when Forcystus threw another. He looked at the hilt, and was surprised to see that Forcystus had actually returned his original swords to him. What was this Desian playing at? "Well? Don't I even get a thank you?" He inquired, not looking up from where he was pressing buttons on the cannon on his arm. With a few small beeping noises, it detached, and Forcystus leant it against a wall. Lloyd was slightly disappointed to see a whole arm underneath. "What? Did you want me to be horribly disfigured or something?" He asked with a laugh. "Sorry to disappoint you. And I still hear no thank you."

"Thankyou Lord Forcystus," Lloyd murmured automatically. Forcystus smiled slightly.

"Much better," he replied, grabbing a sword of his own – also wooden. Either he didn't trust Lloyd, or he was playing it safe. "Just so you know, Lloyd, you are going to cause absolutely no damage to me with those." He eyed Lloyd's Exsphere. "No even with a Demon Fang. So… Don't worry." His tone was slightly patronising, and Lloyd glared at him.

_We'll see about that, Desian!_ He thought, mentally accepting the challenge. He noted that Forcystus' sword arm was the one that he usually had the cannon on – his left – which would more than likely make that arm stronger than it would normally be. After all, it supported all that weight.

"Good. Analysing your opponent," Forcystus complimented, stepping into the centre of the room and taking up a fighting stance. "However, in most fights, an enemy will not let you stand there and look at them, will they?"

"Why are you telling me this?" Lloyd asked, carefully moving opposite Forcystus, swords at the ready. As far as he was concerned, his primary aim was to inflict as much damage as possible on the Desian.

"Why, you will never learn otherwise!" Forcystus responded, looking amused. "Most times you will have to rely on your own experience, or use one of these." He tossed something to Lloyd, and he dropped one of his swords to catch it. It was a small magnifying glass, with the lens part covered. Confused, Lloyd held it up, and the covering moved away of its own accord to show Forcystus, who had his trademark slight sly smile on his face still. There were two glowing lines around him, one green and one blue, and at the very top of the glass' vision was a little wind symbol. The words 'Iselia Ranch' had written themselves along the bottom.

"Wh… What is this thing?" He asked, still starting through it, amazed. Forcystus walked over, and Lloyd lowered it, still keeping a hold on it.

"A Magic Lens," Forcystus replied. "Keep it. Once you use it, it will show you everything about the creature… Or person… You use it on, just by looking through it at the target. That one is tuned in to me, now. And only you can use it." He took the Lens from Lloyd's weak grip and held it up. The covering was down once more. "They're cheap to make. See? It shows me nothing now it's been registered to my life signs. They lock on to a person's mana signature." Lloyd snatched it back jealously, glaring at the Desian, who laughed. "Pick your sword up! It's about time we did some actual fighting," Forcystus replied. "The green light you can see around me is a measure of how much mana I have left in my body – my life-force. If that disappears, it means I've no mana left, and I'm as good as dead. The blue bar is a little more complicated. It's almost a measure of magical energy, but humans and monsters have it, too. Basically, it measures your battle strength. So, if you can't see a blue light, it means I can't do much more than attack you, I've no energy left for magic." Lloyd held the lens up again, the blue bar was almost level with the green one. "I've used a little magic today, so it should be not quite equal to the green light, correct?" Lloyd nodded and put the lens down on the nearest table, shooting Forcystus a glare in case he tried to take it. The Cardinal laughed. "Alright. Show me how you fight," he offered, taking up a defensive stance. Lloyd growled and charged at him, swinging his swords, dismayed to find that Forcystus blocked every single one of his thrusts and swings. He hadn't been lying when he'd said he could use a sword. "Good! Good," Forcystus congratulated him as he attacked more fiercely, determined to at least land a hit in. "Use your Exsphere! Don't hold back, Lloyd. Imagine I'm… Kvar." Lloyd paused, panting hard.

"…Kvar?" He asked, shifting his grip on his swords.

"The Desian who caused the death of your mother. He created that Exsphere," Forcystus replied. "He laughed as he watched her killed!" Lloyd growled.

"You… Desian!" He yelled. "You were there, weren't you? You helped kill her! You!!" He ran forwards. "_Demon Fang_!"

"Guardian!" Forcystus yelled, the green force field stopping the attack in its tracks. Lloyd stopped, stunned, as Forcystus lowered his sword and the energy field faded. "…Good," he decided, walking past Lloyd. "And no, I wasn't there, as I have already told you, what, three times now?" he picked up the lens and tossed it to Lloyd, who caught it. "Look through it." Hesitantly, Lloyd did so. Although the green light was unchanged, the blue light had edged its way down a little. "Using guardian takes up energy," Forcystus informed him. "As will any spell, or any sort of ability that draws on my Exsphere." He held up his right hand, and Lloyd could see an Exsphere there, set in a Key Crest as his was. "So, if I do anything that requires me to use this… Anything that would not normally be possible for someone built like us to do… It takes up energy. And of course, when you have no energy you cannot fight effectively. Remember that."

"You can… Restore this energy, right?" Lloyd asked, watching Forcystus walk back over to where he'd been before. Forcystus nodded.

"Of course," he replied. "Simply fighting will give you back the will to fight, the need. Unless, of course, you use up that energy instantly trying to break through an enemy's defences. Put the lens down." Lloyd hesitantly did as he was told. "Now, show me the range of your abilities. Surely Demon Fang can't be all you know." Lloyd twitched, irritated.

"Well, I…" He murmured, picking up his second sword. Forcystus smiled slightly one more, that sly smile.

"You only know Demon Fang? My," he remarked. Lloyd's grip tightened on his swords.

"Are you insulting me, Desian?" He spat. "I'm stronger than I look!"

"Prove it, then," Forcystus offered, spreading his arms, sword still in hand. "Land one blow on me. If you can, I will concede that perhaps you are stronger than you look." Lloyd growled and launched at him once more, but this time, instead of guarding his attacks, Forcystus fought back. Lloyd was on the floor within a few seconds, groaning. "Quite the proof," he remarked, regarding Lloyd as he struggled back into a kneeling position. Forcystus pointed the wooden sword at him, and he looked up the blade at the Desian.

"You…" He managed. Forcystus laughed.

"Get up," he suggested, walking backwards. "We've only just started!"

"But… You…" Lloyd protested.

"What, I floored you? Oh, what a shame," Forcystus replied. "That's nothing. I could have set you to a day's Ranch work. _Then _you would have been begging for it to end with reason. Have some backbone." Lloyd growled.

"You… You filthy…" He spat. Forcystus shrugged.

"What, that it? That's all you ever say!" He returned. "Be original, Lloyd, and call me something other than filthy for a change. It gets so tiresome." Lloyd gripped his swords tightly.

"I will get you just once," he promised. "I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face!"

"Come and do so, then!" Forcystus taunted, pointing his sword at Lloyd. "I _dare_ you!" Lloyd flung himself at the Desian, attacking in a frenzy, and Forcystus laughed as he blocked his attacks. "That's more like it!" He encouraged, blocking an angry Demon Fang. "Now, then!" He jumped backwards. "Magic!" Lloyd didn't even stop, he just ran at Forcystus. "Wind Blade!" Forcystus called, an easy spell like that needing minimal casting time. Lloyd cried out as he was caught unawares and flung back, once more finding himself on the floor. Forcystus chuckled as he struggled back up. "Most, if not all, of your foes will have something that supplements their basic attacking techniques. Even monsters have more than one thing at their disposal. When you get a bit better, I'll have my men catch some monsters from the forest for you to practise on." Lloyd glared at him, panting heavily.

"…That hurt," he muttered sulkily. Forcystus laughed.

"That was the _idea_, Lloyd," he replied. "It's magic! That was a basic wind spell. Have a look through your lens again; you'll see that it took hardly any energy to cast." Lloyd scrabbled on the table for the lens and eventually found it, holding it up. As Forcystus had said, there was barely any difference from the last time he had looked. He put the lens back.

"So you know… Stronger magics?" He asked. Forcystus nodded.

"Wind magic, more specifically," he replied. "I have quite a large repertoire. Although probably not as large as your half-elven friend will have by the time he finishes studying…"

"Genis?" Lloyd asked. "Genis is an elf, not filth like you." Forcystus smiled slightly.

"So, every half-elf is filth?" He asked. Lloyd paused.

"…No," he replied eventually. "But all you Desians are. Filthy. In fact, even if Genis _were_ a half-elf – which he isn't – I wouldn't care. He's my friend. His race doesn't matter to me." Forcystus nodded slowly.

"…Good," he replied. "Now, come here, and I will show you my stronger magic, if you like." Lloyd grabbed his Lens and made his way over to Forcystus, sitting down on the floor once he was close, exhausted. Forcystus looked at him. "…You'd better be glad you weren't brought here to be worked," he remarked. "Anyway. The next level of magic is the intermediate level. There are two wind spells in this level, air blade and air thrust. I know both. If you specialise in a particular element, it is easier to learn both types, whereas those who cover every element tend only to learn one intermediate level magic." He gathered mana around him, producing an unearthly green glow around his body. "Air blade!" Magic shot from his hand towards the opposite side of the room, where it hit with a rather large crash. Lloyd rubbed the hair out of his eyes irritably – it had been blown around by the wind created. "And… Air thrust…" Forcystus murmured, gathering more mana around him. "Air thrust!" A sphere of air appeared in the centre of the room, with almost solid blades of air whipping around inside it. Lloyd winced. He did not want to be caught up in that. Forcystus lowered his hand with a satisfied look. "There," he remarked. "Impressed?" Lloyd shook his head.

"Nah," he replied meanly. "I bet Genis could do better." Forcystus laughed.

"Is that so?" He asked. "Next is the advanced level magic. There's only one pure wind spell, and that's Cyclone. It can get a bit… Out of control, so you may want to come a little closer." Lloyd obediently moved closer to the Desian, who had the mana circle around his feet once more. He had a focused look on his face; this magic clearly took a lot more effort than the other spells he'd been using. "Gentle winds…" He murmured, closing his eyes. "Gather before me; lend me the strength of the winds of the worlds. Cyclone!" A vortex of green, whirling wind sprang up in the centre of the room, wind blade whipping back and forth within it. Forcystus opened his eyes with a satisfied look. "That more like it?" He asked. Lloyd looked up at him and stood up.

"I dunno… I mean… It's just wind…" He started, then his grip on his right-hand sword tightened and he brought it round. Much to his shock, Forcystus caught it.

"Haha! Very clever," he remarked. "However, I was expecting you to do something of the sort. Sit back down. We're not done yet." Lloyd, irritated, yanked the sword out of his grasp and slumped back down to the floor. "Now. The Summon Spirit of Wind is Sylph, who resides at the top of the Balacruf Mausoleum," Forcystus told him.

"You can summon?" Lloyd asked, jumping to conclusions. Forcystus shook his head.

"No. background information is always useful," he replied. "There are three Sylph, Sephie, Yutie and Fairess. When you use wind magic, you are calling upon their mana and bending it to your own will. One does not have to be a summoner to use a summon… As it were."

"You just have to be a bit of elf," Lloyd murmured. Forcystus watched him, waiting. "But then, that mercenary… Kratos… He could use magic. He was human… I think."

_Kratos? Hmm… Quick thinking time_, Forcystus thought. _I can't tell Lloyd about Aionis… Nor the true nature of Cruxis… Lord Aurion would kill me_. "Humans can't tell race," he murmured. "Chances are, he has a little elf in his blood, but it is so dilute he may as well be human." Lloyd looked up at him.

"How come half-elves can tell race?" He asked. Forcystus laughed.

"Anyone with enough elven blood in them can… Well, I suppose you would say smell the mana on a person. Elven blood gives off a different… Smell… To human blood, so both elves and half-elves are very easy to spot." He shook his head. "But, I'm not done yet with magic!" Lloyd looked back at the floor, thinking.

"So, elves are related to mana, because they can cast spells, and they can sense the flow of mana in people?" He murmured. Forcystus raised an eyebrow. He was cleverer than he'd been giving him credit for.

"Magic, Lloyd. If you're so desperately interested I'll tell you later," he replied. "Shut up and watch." Lloyd looked back up at him, confused. "There are some magical techniques which bridge the boundaries of elements. Spiral Flare is a wind magic which uses fire, and Atlas is a water magic which uses wind. I can cast both."

"Go on, then," Lloyd muttered, clearly bored. Forcystus frowned.

"If you're not interested I can just make you get up and knock you to the floor again," he snapped. "Learning is important."

"Why? I'm a human who broke the rules! Why do you care?" Lloyd snapped. "Why don't you free some human and teach them, instead! I'd appreciate it more then! There are people of my blood _suffering_ in this Ranch, whilst I get it easy! And you're _helping me_!" Forcystus sighed.

"Get up, then," he murmured. Lloyd gave him a strange look, suspicious. "Go on, get up. I'll teach you something." Lloyd slowly got to his feet, sliding his Magic Lens into one pocket. "The humans in this Ranch are already dead, Lloyd," Forcystus told him. "Even if I wanted to – which I don't – there would be no point in setting them free. Once an Exsphere has fused with the skin, that's it. You've had it. Whether you're human, half-elf or elf, although they grow best in humans." Lloyd's grip on the swords tightened. Forcystus seemed to have a talent for making him angry. "So, to be blunt. I am teaching you because you may as well learn. I can't kill you. I've had orders from up above. Why would I want to bother freeing one of the walking dead? Answer me that."

"Give them a break, though!" Lloyd yelled. "It can be helped, surely it can be helped! Giving someone with an uninhibited Exsphere a proper Key Crest will repress it, stop it completely even! It could save them!" Forcystus sighed.

"And I would waste money and time on inferior beings just why?" He pointed out.

"WE ARE NOT INFERIOR!" Lloyd shouted, charging at Forcystus once more. The Desian swiftly blocked him. "We are human! You're half-human, doesn't that make you half inferior by your own logic, Desian? Answer _me_ that!" He yelled, hacking at him. Forcystus swung out at him swiftly, knocking him back.

"I am a half-elf, and you are not going to call me half-human or inferior again, ever," he growled. "Do you understand?"

"It's you that doesn't! It's you that's blind! You… Desian!_ I_ _hate you all!_ TIGER BLADE!" Forcystus only just blocked as Lloyd launched himself into the air and hacked down.

"Fierce Demon Fang!" He snapped, and Lloyd was flung across the room and into the wall, where he lay, groaning. "You stupid, stupid human!" He yelled. "I try to give you an opportunity, and what do you do? You throw it away and insult me!"

"You… Insulted me…" Lloyd panted, trying to get up. Forcystus looked at him through narrowed eyes.

"You are walking on thin ground," he told Lloyd in a low, dangerous voice. "And my patience is limited. You're lucky I don't have you beaten again." Lloyd recoiled slightly despite himself as Forcystus walked forwards. "You have no idea, Lloyd. You cannot call someone anything until you know what they have been through, what it means to them. I called you human well enough. I had some sort of… Respect for you. Your damned stubbornness! Those of blood behave alike, it seems!" He threw his sword to the floor. "'Keep you safe', they said. I could have locked you in that cell, kept you alive and forgotten about you. Most other Desians would have done. But I have tried to keep you at least amused, I have been trying to train you, in case you didn't realise!" Slowly, Lloyd reached for the discarded sword, making sure Forcystus wasn't looking. "Live with one insult. It won't kill you. Insulting me back just might." He turned, and Lloyd stood up.

"…Not… If I have anything… To say about it…" He muttered, and he hit the surprised Forcystus square across the chest, making him stagger backwards.

"You…" Forcystus growled. "You will regret this." He pushed Lloyd to one side and stormed out of the room, the door locking behind him.

_Ok… Maybe I pushed him a little too far…_Lloyd decided, swallowing nervously. What had he let himself in for now?

**A/N** sorry for the sporadic updating, I had a driving test to prepare for. Which I passed!

Please R&R


	5. Chapter five: Nightmare

**Boo!**

There's a mention of Cruxis in this chapter, so if you thought there were already spoilers, here come MORE! Mwahahahaha!

Disclaimer: Despite efforts, ToS remains Namco's and I make no money off this, yadda yadda yadda

A big thanks to all my reviewers, especially freakyanimegal465, The Sage of Spirits, Tanali and Nightfoot, who have reviewed most if not all of the chapters! You guys are awesome and you can have... A Kratos ^^

Keep reviewing, guys, you inspire me to write more ^^ And hints, suggestions, constructive critiscism etc. is always welcome.

Without further ado...

* * *

Chapter five: Nightmare

"Ugh… What have I done?" Forcystus lamented, head in his hands. "I'd built up his trust, but now… If he ever even decides to trust me even _slightly _again, I'll have to start from the beginning…"

"What, sir, because you had him beaten?" Roy asked. "You did it before." Forcystus shook his head.

"No… I got angry with him," he replied. "That boy tries the very limits of my patience!" Roy chuckled softly.

"Because he's an Aurion, sir," he replied. Forcystus laughed softly, too.

"Yes… Most likely," he replied. "He's pure trouble. Too clever in his own way." He sighed. "I've completely shattered whatever trust or respect he had for me now. I expect it was only minimal to begin with, but at least it was there…" Roy hmmed.

"Lord Forcystus…" He started. Forcystus looked up at him. "That human… He's different, you know that. Even if he is Lord Aurion's boy, he is not Lord Aurion. He will trust you, in time, if it is what you wish. Remember he is still a child at heart. You will have to be… Patient." Forcystus shook his head slightly.

"Or screw up again," he murmured. "Lord Aurion is lucky he asked me, and Lloyd doesn't appreciate just how lucky his is. Maybe it's time I showed him." He stood up. "Nothing like a tour of a Ranch to put a human's thoughts in perspective." Roy looked uncertain.

"Are you sure that's… Entirely wise, sir? It might stir up rebellion." Forcystus made his favourite noise.

"Tch. How are they to know he's human? He may as well be another Desian for all they know," he replied, turning to go.

"I meant… How injured he is… Sir…" Roy murmured to thin air. "Never listens, does he…?"

"Lloyd!" The boy didn't even look up at the sound of Forcystus' voice. He didn't want to. It hurt too much.

_Is he going to have me beaten again…? _He wondered, shivering in fear. _It hurts so much…_

"Lloy- Lloyd!" There was a genuine tone of worry in the Desian's voice, and Lloyd looked up slightly as the door was opened.

"Lo…Rd…Forc…Ystus…" He managed.

"Gah, idiots! A few simple rules, are they too hard to follow?" Forcystus murmured, turning Lloyd onto his back. Lloyd whimpered at the pain. "No magic, I said! No breaking anything, I said! Idiots, every one of them!"

"…You're… Not angry…?" Lloyd asked quietly. Forcystus cursed colourfully.

"No, not any more. I lost my temper, I'm sorry. I hate being called… That word. Healing Wind." Lloyd made a soft noise as gentle winds flowed over his body, and energy seeped into him. It felt better.

"I thought… I'd… Screwed up… Badly…" Lloyd murmured, watching the look of concentration on Forcystus' face. "I got… Angry… Too… I'm sorry…" Forcystus' look flickered slightly to sadness, and Lloyd smiled slightly. He had been right.

"Don't be stupid," he muttered. "Don't apologise to me. I'm a Desian, remember? You hate me and everything I stand for." The sad look was already gone, replaced with concentration once more. Lloyd sat up slightly, his body no longer feeling broken.

"Desian…" Lloyd repeated, still watching Forcystus, who was concentrating too hard to even notice. "Why do you hate being called inferior?" Forcystus twitched at the word, his concentration faltering slightly.

"…It reminds me of what I was," he murmured. "Ah… That better?" Lloyd nodded slightly.

"Well… I don't feel like I'd rather die," he murmured. "Um… Thank you, Lord Forcystus." Forcystus made an angry noise.

"I promise you, some people will be being painfully demoted," he growled. Lloyd winced. "It's their own fault. I gave explicit instructions. You are not like the other prisoners, Lloyd. I told you. You're special." Lloyd frowned.

"Why?" He asked. Forcystus sighed, shaking his head.

_You had to go and ask the hardest question, didn't you…?_ He thought ruefully. "That's… Complicated. I doubt you'll believe me even if I tell you. You're like that," he settled for. Lloyd looked dissatisfied, but there wasn't much he could do about that.

"Why did you come here?" He asked. "…Lord Forcystus." Forcystus looked at him, his look indecipherable.

"I still don't know if you mean that," he murmured. "I, Lloyd, am going to take you round the Ranch." Lloyd backed off slightly. "Everywhere. If you're being held here, you'll get to know it. I trust you can walk now?" Lloyd nodded uncertainly, standing, then smiling and nodding more confidently. Forcystus nodded. "Good. You'll be doing a lot of it. Follow me."

"Yes… Lord Forcystus…" Lloyd murmured, quickly catching up as the Desian walked away. He was silently pleased with himself for managing to get a little more out of him. He just had to keep trying and maybe Forcystus would actually tell him something… And then he would have blackmail. And with blackmail, he could get Forcystus to put a chip in him, and with that he would have all he needed to escape. His Sorcerer's Ring could take care of the locked doors, and the guards were under instructions to leave him alone. And once he was close enough to the exit, he could find one of Forcystus' machines and turn his ring back, and then he'd be able to stop any of the guards that hindered him…

"Keep up," Forcystus snapped from in front, and Lloyd caught up with him quickly. He had to play the goody-goody again. He had to fool the Desian into thinking he trusted him. He'd made a mistake and got too angry earlier on, and he'd got beaten for it… and that was not an experience he wanted repeated. He was now extremely grateful for Forcystus' ban of breaking things and magic the first time. He just hoped the ban would hold in future, because he didn't particularly relish the thought of feeling like a broken toy again. Even getting information out of Forcystus wasn't worth that.

Forcystus took Lloyd out of the main building and out into the yard of the Ranch. Lloyd was surprised at just how small the building he'd been kept in was compared to the rest of the Ranch. Perhaps the building was bigger underground? "This way," Forcystus snapped, and Lloyd quickly caught up to him. "Don't walk level to me," he told him. "Keep just behind." Lloyd frowned.

"Why? Um, Lord Forcystus," Lloyd asked. Forcystus sighed irritably.

"Because you are a human, because I run this Ranch, and because anyone who walks level with me is my equal. Which you are most definitely _not_. Understood?" Lloyd sighed.

"…Yes, Lord Forcystus…" He murmured, falling behind him slightly. Forcystus nodded.

"Good," he replied. "Now. I want some guards! Now! Here!" He yelled, and about six guards materialised instantly.

"Here, Lord Forcystus!" They chorused, and Forcystus noticed their eyes travel to his cannon-less arm. He hadn't put it back on after his angry exit from the training room…

"Now then. I trust the inferiors are behaving?" He asked.

_Inferiors?_ Lloyd thought, unable to pluck up the courage to protest aloud. The guards nodded.

"Yes, my Lord," one replied. "We've had no incidents today like…" He trailed off and shook his head. "I reckon you scared some sense into them, sir." Forcystus shrugged.

"Very well. If there is any trouble today, I will be very unhappy," he informed them. They all glanced at Lloyd.

"What do you wish us to do with this inferior being, sir?" One asked. Forcystus shook his head.

"I am dealing with him. L025 is… The special prisoner." The guards all looked slightly more nervous at that, and two of them actually backed away slightly. "And he will not be troubled by any of the guards, understood? If any harm comes to him it will not just be me you answer to." The guards all nodded instantly.

"Yes, Lord Forcystus! You will not be troubled, Lord Forcystus!" They promised.

"Good. Dismissed," Forcystus replied, and all six saluted and walked off, as quickly as possible. Forcystus made an irritated noise. "…Such incompetence," he murmured. "Come, Lloyd. I will show you what the other humans of this Ranch have to endure." Lloyd nodded uncertainly, walking just behind him and wondering if it was as bad as the beating he had just received for daring to lay a blow on a Grand Cardinal.

Lloyd gasped aloud when they got within the Ranch proper. He had seen the humans of the Ranch having to push stupidly heavy blocks around when he had spied on the Ranch with Genis, but the conditions within the mesh were even harsher. Within the centre of the Ranch was a large open courtyard, where the humans were being forced to work. They didn't even look up as Forcystus walked past with Lloyd, except for one woman, who made a noise very similar to Forcystus' tch upon seeing Lloyd. Forcystus paused.

"Lord Forcystus…" Lloyd started, afraid he was going to hurt her. Forcystus gave him a warning glance.

"H045," he demanded. She looked up from her work and stood up straight. "Have you some problem, inferior, that you will give the Lord of the Ranch looks?" He demanded. The others around her backed away slightly, clearly afraid despite the still-calm tone. H045 looked up at him, then at Lloyd.

"…No, my Lord," she murmured eventually. "Please forgive my transgression, my Lord." Forcystus frowned, and Lloyd looked at him in appeal.

"Somehow, I highly doubt that," he decided, and Lloyd's look turned frantic. "This is the fourth time this week you have violated Ranch protocol. I have no option but to ensure that this does not happen again. Guards!"

"Lord Forcystus!" Lloyd protested softly. Forcystus looked down at him.

"Lloyd, shut up," he told him. H045 looked at him, a derogatory look on her face. The guards Forcystus had called for appeared then. "H045 is causing trouble again," he told them nonchalantly. "Teach her not to." The guards nodded and two of them forcefully grabbed her. She didn't struggle.

"…Desian filth," she spat at Lloyd, who looked shocked.

"Wh… What?" He murmured. Forcystus' gaze hardened.

"You are asking to be punished," he told her. "If I hear one more sound out of you, you will be sorry. Understood?" H045 looked him straight in the eye, and said nothing. Forcystus made an angry noise. "Deal with her," he told the guards, and they nodded and dragged her away. "Get working!" Forcystus yelled at the other humans there, and they all quickly resumed their toil.

"She… She didn't do anything…" Lloyd murmured weakly, knowing full well what sort of lesson she was going to be taught.

"She called you filth," Forcystus remarked absently. "And also I, if I am not mistaken. Desian covers quite a wide range, no?" He looked down at Lloyd.

"Sh-she wasn't talking to me! I'm human!" Lloyd protested. "Ah, um, Lord Forcystus!" Several of the humans working nearby looked up as Forcystus struck Lloyd across the face, making him stagger backwards. The noise of the hit rang out across the courtyard.

"Don't talk back to me," he hissed. "Ever." Lloyd looked up, one hand on his face, shocked. He had instantly gone for his swords, only to discover they weren't there.

"…Yes, Lord Forcystus," he murmured, betrayal evident in his eyes. He saw guilt in Forcystus' face, if only for a moment.

"Come. Now," he ordered, walking on, and Lloyd caught up. Several people threw him jealous glances, which he didn't understand. He was a prisoner too, he had just been hit! So why… Did they envy him…?

"L-lord Forcystus! Where are we going?" Lloyd asked after catching up to the Desian for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"You will know when we get there," he replied simply, not looking back. Lloyd made an irritated noise, rubbing his still-sore cheek. Forcystus certainly had a powerful hit on him.

_That woman was beaten for less than I've done_, he realised. _Why is Forcystus so lenient with me? A beating won't kill me, even if it hurts. Why does he try to… To protect me? But then he doesn't…_ Forcystus paused at a door to tap in a code, and Lloyd stopped not-quite-level with him. He didn't look up from the panel.

"Harriet," he murmured softly.

"Ah… What?" Lloyd asked. "Er, Lord Forcystus." Forcystus sighed. He was so lax.

"H045. Harriet," he elaborated, then refused to say anything more. Lloyd gave him a funny look. He _had_ been wanting to know her name, true, but why had Forcystus just told him out of the blue like that? "Here." The door slid open. "This is the Exsphere processing plant. Don't run out. That would be worse than standing and watching, believe me." He walked forwards into the room, Lloyd following, confused.

The plant was a large room, which seemed to Lloyd to be the size of a whole building, although he knew it must fit inside the one they had just entered. There was the noise of machinery working constantly in the background, and the sound of Desians shouting to one another across the room. Forcystus walked forwards silently, Lloyd following. They were on a suspended walkway, and, looking over the side, Lloyd could see the main plant below. There were a lot of conveyor belts, and Lloyd felt slightly sick as he remembered what Forcystus had said about the Ranch.

"_An Exsphere is made by fusing the basic stone with a human and allowing it to feed off the mana within that body. Once the Exsphere is complete, it unleashes, and we harvest them."_

Harvest.

This was how they did it! This was… This was a…

"A slaughterhouse," Lloyd whispered, horrified. Forcystus looked back at him and grabbed his arm. "No, no! Get off me! Let me go!" Lloyd protested, but Forcystus pulled him towards him and put a hand over his mouth. Lloyd struggled violently.

"One, you didn't use my title," Forcystus whispered. "In a place so full of Desians, that is an extremely bad idea. Two, don't struggle. Nothing bad will happen to you. Three, you have known we do this for a while now." Lloyd struggled under his hand, trying to speak. "Be quiet," Forcystus cautioned him, removing his hand.

"You can't-" Lloyd started loudly, but Forcystus shushed him. "You… You can't expect me to feel nothing," he continued more softly. "…_Desian _Lord Forcystus." Forcystus nodded.

"Just remember what I said," he told him softly. "Lloyd, you are not safe out here. You are human; any half-elf could smell your mana signature from a mile you run away… Even just from this room, here, away from me… You will regret it." Lloyd frowned, looking dubious and untrusting. "Run away, then!" Forcystus spat, although his voice was hushed. "See what happens to a human, alone in a Ranch!" Lloyd shivered. "See? Now come with me," Forcystus ordered, and Lloyd hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded dejectedly. He followed as Forcystus led him down to the lower level, to where the sound of Desian voices were coming from.

"Lord Forcystus! Is something wrong, my Lord?" The head Desian asked when he approached.

"No, just checking the Ranch," Forcystus replied. "Continue your duties." The Desian gave Lloyd a strange look.

"Sir, the inferior being…" He started, but Forcystus shook his head.

"L025 is with me," he replied. "He is the special human." Lloyd shook his head irritably. Man, was he tired of hearing that. The Desian nodded.

"As you wish, sir. Keep working, you lazy maggots! Do not disappoint our Cardinal!" He shouted, walking away.

"Special, Lord Forcystus?" Lloyd murmured, but Forcystus shook his head almost imperceptively. No questions. Not here.

"…This is the machine that turns the human host into the completed Exsphere," Forcystus murmured once they reached one large machine. "It extracts and compresses the host's mana and channels it into the Exsphere. However, this process only works once the Exsphere has reached a certain level of maturity, so only humans whose Exsphere have been implanted for a certain level of time can be processed. It's currently on downtime." Lloyd reached out and touched the cold metal. It was harsh, unforgiving, bland and lifeless as the gems it created. Lloyd looked at his own Exsphere, feeling sick. His mother hadn't been put through one of these… But she had been killed for this. For one little gem? What was so special about it? Special… The special human…

"What's different about mine, Lord Forcystus?" He asked. "You don't chase every Ranch escapee for their Exspheres, surely?" For a fraction of a second, a look of disgust crossed the Cardinal's face.

"…Hers was… Kvar's," he replied eventually. "Kvar does not like the word 'escape' to exist in his vocabulary. That Exsphere, however, is more than usual. Well, he hopes it is. It was part of an experiment your mother was involved in… The 'Angelus project'."

"Angelus?" Lloyd repeated. Forcystus shrugged.

"It wasn't my project," he replied. "Come on. We haven't all day." Lloyd, with so many questions in his head begging to be asked, eventually followed Forcystus in silence. This place was not the place to ask them.

"I shall show you the living quarters for the humans," Forcystus told him as they exited the Plant room. Lloyd took a deep breath, thinking that the air was cleaner outside of that room. Forcystus watched him, a strange look on his face. "What?" He asked.

"…The smell… In that room… I was trying to get rid of it… Lord Forcystus," Lloyd replied. Forcystus made a small noise of acknowledgement and walked on.

"Come on," he called, and Lloyd ran to catch up. He moved so fast! He knew it couldn't just be the Exsphere, since he had one of his own, and Forcystus had even said that it was different… _The special human._

_Is it just my Exsphere? No, but it can't be… They wouldn't have kept me alive then, they would have just killed me and taken it. And there is such contempt in Forcystus' voice when he speaks of Kvar…_ Lloyd shook his head. It made no sense! Desians were very complicated…

"Lord Forcystus! Lord Forcystus!" A Desian called, and Forcystus turned as a messenger ran up and saluted, panting quite hard.

"What is it, soldier?" He asked. "Get your breath." The Desian stood there for about a second, trying to catch his breath.

"Ah, Sir, there was a message from Lord Yggdrasill over the holograph!" He said as quickly as he could. "Lord Roy took a recording for you, milord." Lloyd frowned. For just a fraction of a second, had he seen… Fear in Forcystus' eyes?

"I shall deal with it presently. Return to your post," Forcystus told the Desian, who saluted again and ran off. "Lord Yggdrasill…" He murmured. "Very well, Lloyd. It seems your tour ends here. I shall return you to your cell."

"Can't I see the message?" He asked. Forcystus looked at him carefully until he added the "Lord Forcystus" meekly on the end.

"No," he replied. "This is official Desian business. You are a prisoner. You have nothing to do with our affairs and certainly shouldn't be listening to confidential messages. Now come. We are returning." Lloyd nodded, downcast. He really was nothing…

"Don't even think about it," he told Lloyd as he locked the cell. "There are security fields between here and the control room. You won't manage it." Lloyd gave him a strange look.

"I wasn't gonna try," he replied, seemingly honest.

"Tch. I highly doubt that," Forcystus replied, walking away. Lloyd waited until even the sound of his footsteps had faded and he was in total silence before getting up and going over to the door. He inched his hand out through the bars and tapped on the keys for a while, and eventually he got the door to open. He had watched Forcystus carefully when the door was locked and had copied his movements exactly. He was lucky – Forcystus had typed in a password.

Once the door was open, Lloyd examined the keyboard to find out what the password he'd just typed was, and frowned when he worked out 'Lloyd Aurion'. Aurion?

_Maybe it's a two-part code? _He wondered. _My name, then the name of that Lord guy who wanted me kept alive? Yeah, that'll be it…_ Pleased with his deduction, Lloyd made his way along the corridor. He was fairly certain of the route, he had committed himself to memorising all the different routes Forcystus and the guards the Cardinal had assigned to him had taken him down, and he had a fairly complete mental map of the Ranch in his head. There were some areas he hadn't been to – the control room included – but he was reasonably confident of his ability to fill in the gaps. After all, if it was the centre of Ranch workings, it couldn't be that hard to get to, could it?

"…Ystus says that it's just Cruxis poking its nose in where it shouldn't be…" He heard Desians talking, and, thinking quickly, hid through the nearest door and listened.

"If it is Lord Yggdrasill's wish, surely we can't argue?" A female voice came. Probably one of the spearmen. Lloyd decided that he didn't have the time to work out all the different things wrong with that thought.

"Cruxis has already made us keep that inferior being that Lord Forcystus treats like a pet. I ask you. If he'd just locked it up in a cell and forgotten about it, he wouldn't have been hurt by it, would he?"

"He wasn't that badly hurt, was he?..." The voices faded away again, but Lloyd waited still, his heart pounding.

_A pet?_ He wondered. _I'm treated like a pet? I certainly wouldn't treat any pet this way…_ Once he was fairly confident that the coast was clear, he exited the room, glancing up and down the corridor. No sign of any Desians, at least. Pleased with his evasion, he continued on down the corridor.

Eventually he came to a big, branching corridor. He knew that carrying straight on would take him out of this building and out into the outside portion of the Ranch, because Forcystus had taken him into the building across the path to show him the mana reactor. Left, if his memory served correctly, was a guard room, amongst other things. Going that way would _not_ be wise. So, without any other options left, Lloyd shrugged and took the right corridor.

He had to Desian-dodge twice more, but didn't learn anything else interesting. In fact, most of the Desians went around silently, as cold as the environment they worked in. He was almost caught the second time, he hadn't been concentrating and didn't hear the footsteps. However, he had managed to duck into a side-room before the guard got close enough to spot him, and he moved carefully after that.

He did eventually reach the control room, and he stayed outside for a while and listened.

"…Don't let the rest of the Ranch know, Roy," Forcystus' voice could be heard. "It'll only cause unnecessary worry. I'll keep a closer eye on the boy is all."

"Are you sure that's wise, Lord Forcystus? At the very least have him chipped…" Lloyd crossed his fingers. If Forcystus agreed to that, he was as good as free…

"No, Roy, and that is final," Forcystus snapped, and Lloyd sighed inwardly. "He'll be out of here like a shot if I do. The security fields are all that are keeping him in! He's as wilful as his mother was." Lloyd's heart skipped a beat at the mention of his mother. "And I will not run the risk of Kvar discovering him. If he finds out, the boy will be dead faster than… Than a Tethe'allan half-elf criminal." Roy chuckled under his breath.

"Perhaps, Sir, but he is in more danger than you think simply because of his wilfulness. If he takes it into his head to go wandering…"

"He promised me he'd stay put."

"And you believed him? Sir, pardon me for saying so, but more fool you, then." Forcystus growled under his breath.

"I don't need this from you, Roy! I've enough to deal with concerning the boy and Lord Yggdrasill! Clearly Lord Aurion didn't think to inform him that we're holding him!" Lloyd smiled slightly. His theory had been right! The one who had ordered he be kept alive was called Aurion. "And if Cruxis investigate and find him…" There was a brief silence. "Either way, I am _not_ going back to Derris-Kharlan. Not for anything. So do as I say and keep things quiet, understood?"

"As you wish, my Lord." There was an irritated sigh from Forcystus, and Lloyd could just picture him running one hand through his hair in frustration. "I suppose I'd better go and retrieve my weapon before some irresponsible underling walks off with it. You can have a break for now, Roy. I'll be back in a few minutes to take care of things here." Lloyd frantically looked around for a hiding place, and dodged behind a pillar as Forcystus emerged from the room. "…Cruxis," he muttered, shaking his head. "I'd rather be Desian." Roy followed him out, and Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief as they went in the opposite direction. Seizing his chance, Lloyd ducked into the control room, and was confronted with a rather large array of computers and projectors.

_Alright… Task one… Work out how to operate these things…_ Lloyd decided, heading for the centre device. It had 'no current message' hovering in the air above it, so Lloyd deduced that this was the holographmawhatsit that the Desian had talked about. _Alright… I'll just press buttons and hope… _He decided, and set to work doing just that. After half a minute of nothing, he eventually got a 'replay last message (yes/no)?' in the air, and cheered inwardly, hitting the big green button which he had managed to deduce was some sort of go button. The holograph projector went blank for a few seconds, making Lloyd worry that perhaps he had broken something, but eventually a half-elf in very shiny and… well-fitting white clothes appeared above the device. He had long blonde hair and green eyes, and looked creepily familiar, although Lloyd couldn't work out where from.

"Forcystus," he spoke, and his voice chilled Lloyd to the core. He had never heard a more threatening tone, not even from the angry Cardinal. "I hope you receive this message promptly, or you may find yourself regretting it."

"Leave Forcystus alone, you creep," Lloyd muttered, glancing around the room. One thing he was trying to ignore about the half-elf on screen was the strange purple projections that seemed to spring from nowhere on his hands. They were moving.

"I have heard strange reports about the Exsphere traces on this Ranch," Yggdrasill continued as Lloyd fiddled with the buttons on a nearby console. "More specifically, about life sign signals. I have been given reports of angelic signatures from your Ranch." Lloyd looked up then.

_Angels? In a Ranch?_ He thought. _Ridiculous! The Desians…_

"I can assure you that Cruxis will be looking into this," Yggdrasill continued. "If it is found that you have been breaching the rules, there will be a heavy price to pay. I am certain I do not have to tell you what it is."

_I'd quite like to know, though,_ Lloyd thought, disappointed. The man on-screen laughed coldly.

"And of course, if my time is being wasted, then there will be punishment for the time-wasters. Keep up the good work… Forcystus." With another cold laugh, the man disappeared, and the words 'delete (yes/no)?' appeared on the screen. Lloyd pressed the right arrow button and hit the green button, and the 'no current message' appeared once more. Lloyd hit a few buttons on the console he was at and the words 'Ranch records' appeared. Interested, Lloyd hit the enter button and was disappointed to see a password message. He was even more disappointed to find that the password to his cell didn't work, not that he had really expected it to. So, he turned his thoughts to the sorts of things Forcystus tended to say, hoping they would offer a clue… And then wondered if this sort of things was meant to be accessible by all Desians, so perhaps the password was a generic sort of thing.

Lloyd hit the jackpot with 'Iselia Ranch'. He was quite irritated that it had taken him that long to try something so generic.

'View records  
Search  
Escape record' was the option screen presented to him. Intrigued, Lloyd selected 'escape record' and hit the big green button, which seemed to be a standard thankfully. A list of numbers – a very short list – was displayed, with a date by each one. Lloyd looked down the list for any from 14 years ago, but found none, so looked back 17 years. He saw a number that was vaguely familiar – A012 – listed under 18 years ago, so he selected that.

'Display picture (yes/no)?' the computer asked him, and Lloyd selected 'yes'. A holograph of the woman he presumed was his mother appeared on the screen, and details started to list themselves down the screen. 'Designation: A012. Human name: Anna Irving. Date of escape: …'

"Lloyd! What are you _doing_? You _stupid human!_" Lloyd froze at the sound of Forcystus' voice. Had he lost track of the time? Before he knew it he was being prised away from the computer and Forcystus was shutting down the records, glancing occasionally at the holograph display in the centre of the room. Lloyd scrabbled backwards slightly, afraid.

"I-I'm sorry, Lord Forcystus…" He murmured, hoping his tone was sufficiently meek. Forcystus swore under his breath.

"How you learned to hack with no computing skills I will never know," he murmured.

"…I just put random words in…" He admitted. Forcystus swore again.

"Lloyd," he started, turning and hauling the boy to his feet. "_What did you see?_" Lloyd swallowed, deciding that mentioning the message would not be a good idea in his current position.

"I… I just opened that… File… I've heard you say the number when you were talking about my mother, so I…" He stammered out.

"You didn't read it?" Forcystus asked, his grip on Lloyd tightening.

"N-no, Lord Forcystus, y-you didn't give me a chance…" He mumbled. Forcystus made a relieved noise and released him.

"Thank the tree," he murmured.

"Tree?" Lloyd repeated in confusion as Forcystus tapped a few keys on the monitor and restored the screen to how it had been before Lloyd had experimented. He then went over to the holograph and brought up a menu, with only a few button presses. Lloyd watched enviously as he proceeded to erase the memory bank with minimal effort.

"You are in serious trouble," he muttered. "Not only did you break out of your cell, you somehow managed to evade the security fields and get all the way down here, and access confidential documents. You are lucky that is all you did!" He turned around. "Just so you know, we had an unexplained power surge which temporarily disabled the fields. You wouldn't have been able to get back to your cell, so no matter what you would have been caught." Lloyd winced.

"I-I'm sorry Lord Forcystus, it won't happen again, I swear," he stammered, hoping he wouldn't be beaten. Forcystus growled a new selection of curses under his breath.

"The thing is, Lloyd, it will," Forcystus murmured. "Gah, I can't let this go unpunished! Not when you were looking at confidential files! It just goes against all Ranch protocol, and I can't afford…" He shook his head. "I have an appearance to keep up." Lloyd noticed the way he fiddled with a bangle-like thing on his right arm, pushing it as far up his arm as it would go. "But, seeing how careless they were last time…" He grabbed Lloyd unexpectedly and took out his Exsphere.

"No! Give that back! GIVE THAT BACK!" Lloyd yelled, struggling in the Desian's strong grip.

"Lloyd!" Forcystus admonished, but the boy kept struggling, enraged.

"That was my mother's! She died for that! I won't let you have it, I won't!" He yelled. Forcystus twisted his arm behind his back, making him yell out in pain.

"You will _get_ it back," he promised. "Just wait, alright? Wait a little while. I swear on my honour that this will be returned to you."

"You don't have any honour, Desian!" Lloyd yelled, twisting in his grip.

"Lloyd! Watch your tongue!" Forcystus warned. "I have plenty of honour! I am… A hero amongst half-elves, I'll have you know. I saved innocents from being slaughtered. By humans! It is not just us who are the filth, you know! What would you rather I swore on?"

"Your life," Lloyd replied, his voice low and dangerous. Forcystus nodded.

"Very well. I swear on my life that this will be returned to you, Lloyd Irving." Lloyd jerked once more, then fell still, defeated.

"…Why?" He murmured. Forcystus laughed softly.

"Because they might break it, and it's valuable," he replied. "GUARDS!" Lloyd started to breathe deeply, trying to calm his racing heart. It was even worse when he knew for certain what would happen to him, and he was so scared… Scared of the pain. He hadn't meant any harm…

_I wish I hadn't stood up for him now, even if it meant nothing…_ He thought bitterly.

**A/N - **Lloyd isn't very good at staying in Forcystus' good books, is he? XD Early update because I'm off to Manchester soon. I have a Uni interview! Yayz!


	6. Chapter six: HalfHuman

I've been on my trip, and I got an offer! Yayz! Uni here I come! (Depending on what Oxford says...)

Here's an update for you! Sorry I've been taking a while updating lately... Oh well, there's a bt of action in this one.

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own etc.

* * *

Chapter six: Half-human

Lloyd lay in his cell, looking at the empty Key Crest miserably. They hadn't hurt him as badly as the last time, but he was still bruised all over. Still, he reckoned it was probably worth it. He'd found a lot out, for a relatively light punishment. A little about his mother, and a lot about Forcystus. He was still confused by Yggdrasill's message – all he'd said about Cruxis and angels – but he knew he could get to the bottom of that with a little probing. Forcystus always seemed quite wiling to answer his questions, anyway.

_He's such a confusing Desian…_ Lloyd decided. _He's my enemy, he's made that clear so many times… But still, sometimes he helps me out. And he's lenient and answers what I ask. And like that Desian said, he could have just chucked me in here and ordered me to be kept fed and… Forgotten about me…_ He sighed, resting his head on both hands. He was a person, he supposed. People were complicated. Forcystus just… More than most.

Lloyd sighed and turned over on to his side. He was sure the bruises would die down eventually. They'd been lenient enough, although they told him in no uncertain terms that next time he offended Lord Forcystus he would be in at least double the agony.

_Forcystus is… Scared of something,_ he decided. _Scared enough to keep a watch on the Ranch secret, scared enough to react slightly when I bring these things up even though I can't know about them…_ Lloyd frowned and started going over the things that had produced a reaction in Forcystus in his head. _So… Yggdrasill, definitely. He hates the word inferior… He doesn't like his honour being insulted… The mention of Cruxis irritates him… And he doesn't like people threatening me._ He shrugged at the last one. _But then, this Lord Aurion asked me to be kept safe, so if I get too hurt I suppose he'll be the one to suffer… _On a whim, he fished around in his pocket and produced the magic lens, looking pleased when he discovered that it wasn't broken. He held it up to the light, and was surprised when it opened. _I thought it had to be pointed at a target before it reacted? _Lloyd thought. He could see Forcystus through it, the words 'Iselia Ranch' still displayed at the bottom of the screen. Strangely, the blue light was almost completely gone, and the green bar wasn't as full as it could be. _What's up with this thing? _Lloyd wondered. He noted, with some amusement, that Forcystus was asleep.

"Mhnn… No…" Forcystus' voice sounded oddly hollow, as though it weren't actually there. Lloyd nearly dropped the Lens in shock. Forcystus had never mentioned that it had sound!

_I guess the term 'Magic' is applied for a reason,_ he decided, feeling foolish. _I wonder what's up with Forcystus, anyway?_

"…Please…" He murmured, waving his arms as if to ward off some imaginary foe. "Hurts…" Lloyd frowned. Forcystus had been hurt? "Yes… Sir… Mmmnnn… Inferior…" He mumbled in a hushed whisper.

_He's been called inferior?_ Lloyd wondered. _Just what happened to him? _Forcystus was tossing fitfully, and then he jerked awake.

"Gah!" He gasped, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "…That nightmare again…" Lloyd noticed with mild shock that Forcystus had a cut on his cheek. "…Am I being… Punished?" He looked up at what Lloyd presumed was the ceiling, but it was not visible in the lens. "For Lloyd? For hurting him?" He shook his head slowly. "Sybak… Tch. I hate Tethe'alla. I hate it. I hope I get the Sybak Ranch when we move if this Chosen succeeds…" Lloyd frowned. That sentence made absolutely no sense to him. Forcystus hated the moon? "…No use worrying about it. I'll have to give Lloyd this back in the morning…" He reached to the side and picked up Lloyd's Exsphere.

"Get off that," Lloyd growled angrily.

"Anna Irving…" Forcystus murmured, looking at the Exsphere with a frown. "Did Kvar succeed? …I hope for Lloyd's sake not. Ah, well." He put the Exsphere down, once more out of Lloyd's sight. "No use worrying…" He repeated, glancing up almost in the direction of sight of the magic lens with a frown. "Why can't I shake the feeling that I'm being watched?" Lloyd hastily lowered the lens, which closed itself.

_Why did Forcystus have that cut? _He wondered. _If it's not there next time I see him, it means he's hiding something… But what? What could a Desian have to hide?_

Forcystus came to get him the next day, his cheek suspiciously absent of any healing wound.

"Lloyd. Have you any lasting wounds?" He asked. Lloyd's eyes went to the cannon, which was back on his left arm.

"…No, Lord Forcystus," he replied. "Just a bruise or two." Forcystus nodded.

"Good," he responded. "Now, this may be foolish, but… I will let you have a little more exercise if you wish." Lloyd looked up hopefully.

"What, more training? Lord Forcystus," he asked. Forcystus smiled slightly at his tone.

"Yes, Lloyd. I am willing to forget yesterday's little… Incident… Purely because you showed a lot of initiative to get as far as you did. You're quite the resourceful human." Lloyd frowned, unable to work out if that was a compliment or an insult.

_Is this him trying to atone, so he doesn't get any more nightmares? _Lloyd wondered. _And what happened to the cut? He's hiding… I know he is…_

"Do you wish to train?" He asked. Lloyd nodded. He hadn't wanted to admit it, but he had learned a lot from Forcystus last time. Besides, it was boring being stuck in the same old cell all day. Forcystus made a slight noise and keyed in a passcode – Lloyd noticed that it had changed, probably to something he wouldn't be able to work out on his own. No matter, he had memorised where Forcystus' fingers had hit. He could recreate it if he had to. "Come," he told Lloyd as the door opened, and Lloyd quickly walked to his side. Forcystus gave him a once-over to check he was telling the truth about the lack of damage, then nodded and walked on, Lloyd hurrying to keep up.

They never got to the training centre.

"My Lord! It's the prisoners, sir, they're rioting!" A Desian came up to him. "We can't stop them sir, not without killing some of them…" Forcystus stood there for a second, looking at Lloyd.

"…Let me deal with them," he told the Desian, who saluted and nodded. "Lloyd, come with me." Lloyd glanced from the Desian to Forcystus nervously, but followed all the same. He hadn't much choice.

"Milord, I would advise caution," a Sorcerer told Forcystus as they approached the prisons.

"Tch. A few humans won't hurt me," he replied. "Lloyd, I want silence from you, understood?"

"Yes, Lord Forcystus," Lloyd murmured. He was frightened, now, of what Forcystus might do. He had seen him with… Harriet, how he had ordered her beaten for one small thing. A full-scale rebellion…?

They walked in, and it was utter chaos.

"Lord Forcystus!" One Desian said. "We're so sorry to trouble you, sir, but…" Forcystus shook his head.

"Silence!" He called, waiting a few seconds. Nothing happened, and Forcystus made an irritated noise and started gathering mana around him. "I will have SILENCE!" Wind blade hit the roof with a terrible clatter, and silence fell as all the people in the room, half-elf and human alike, turned to look at the Cardinal. "That took far too long," he spat. "Now then. Inferior beings!" He took a step forwards, and they shrank back as one. Lloyd took an uncertain step forwards too, staying close to Forcystus. "This sort of behaviour is not tolerated. It violates so many Ranch rules I do not even want to start counting. Bring me the instigator of this incident. NOW!" The humans took another step backwards, but no-one came forth. Forcystus scanned the rows of humans. "No-one?" He remarked. "Are you pathetic inferiors trying to tell me this just… Started on its own? There is always kindling. _Who started this?_" a hushed silence fell over the room. No-one dared even speak, not even the Desians. Forcystus made an irritated noise and grabbed the nearest available human – a small boy, no more than 8 years old. He held the cannon to the terrified child's head. "Now, you have five seconds to bring me the head of this rebellion, or the kid dies. Understood?" There was a terrified ripple across the humans. "Four. Three…"

"It was me." Harriet, the woman from before, stepped forward. Forcystus lowered the cannon and pushed the child away from him like he was diseased, and the boy fell to the floor, sobbing.

"H045. I might have known," Forcystus murmured. Harriet met his gaze defiantly.

"You Desians think you're so tough," she spat. "Took a lot of you to quell an uprising this small, didn' it?" A Desian hit her.

"You will use a respectful tone when talking to Lord Forcystus!" He reprimanded. Forcystus laughed.

"Let her talk how she likes, she won't get another opportunity," he replied. Lloyd looked up at him sharply. Was he really intending to…?

"Looks like your puppy's not so well trained," she sneered, clearly not afraid of death. Maybe in a Ranch, it was a form of escape…

"I-I am not a dog!" Lloyd protested, but Forcystus put one hand on his shoulder to quieten him.

"Unnecessary," he murmured. "H045, this is the sixth breach of Ranch rules within a week, and as such I am going to have to take measures. Due to the severity of the crime at hand, I cannot be lenient… Even if I wanted to. Guards, take her out into the courtyard and have her shot." Lloyd gasped, but Forcystus' grip tightened on his shoulder. Harriet sneered at Forcystus as she was led away. "And as for the rest of you!" Forcystus turned to the rest of the cowering prisoners. "If anything of this sort happens again, I will have you all line up, and I will have every fourth person shot without exception, whether they were involved in the incident or not. Am I understood?" There was a murmur of sound across the prisoners. "I said, _am I understood?_"

"Yes, Lord Forcystus," the prisoners chorused almost as one. Forcystus' grip on Lloyd's shoulder was so tight it was starting to become painful for the poor boy.

"Good. If this happens again, you will be sorry," he told them all with finality. "Lloyd, come." Lloyd went red with embarrassment, thinking of what Harriet and the other Desians had said, but with Forcystus in such a mood… He followed willingly. Outside in the courtyard, the sound of an earth spell being cast could be heard.

"…You had her killed," Lloyd murmured, sounding shocked. Forcystus sighed.

"She wanted death, Lloyd," he replied. Lloyd frowned.

"Don't use some excuse on me! You had her executed!" He cried. Forcystus hit him, suddenly and hard, and he fell to the floor.

"Don't you dare speak in that tone to me," he growled. "I am the leader of this Ranch; I am the absolute authority here! Trust me, Lloyd, she wanted death. She asked me to have her killed, once, and I refused, so she has stirred up trouble ever since. It's either that or wait for the Exsphere to take you. You will not talk back to me, and you will use my title!"

"If you're so absolute, who cut your cheek?" Lloyd muttered, angry. Forcystus' hand flew to the place where the injury had been, and he glared.

"…No-one cut my cheek," he murmured, cursing himself for his lapse as he lowered his hand. "I am a Cardinal. I am not _hurt_ by other people." Lloyd glowered at him.

"I saw. You were," he insisted. "You weren't such an authority in your sleep."

"Lloyd Irving. Stand up." Forcystus hissed, and Lloyd realised too late that he had crossed an uncrossable line. He also doubted very highly that he could get out of it with Forcystus in such a mood. He stood.

"Y-yes, Lord Forcystus?" He murmured. Forcystus smacked him again, with such force it sent him reeling.

"You _dare_, human!" He spat, stalking over to where Lloyd had staggered to and hitting him, hard. Lloyd cried out and raised his hands to try and protect his face. "You _dare_ insult _me_ in _MY RANCH_!" He yelled, hitting Lloyd again, the boy's hands offering little protection from the blow. "You _dare _speak of things you know _nothing_ about. Nothing!"

"Please… Lord Forcystus… I-I'm sorry… Please…" Lloyd begged weakly. Without his Exsphere… blood was running down the side of his head from the force of Forcystus' last blow.

"_Think _before you speak!" Forcystus yelled. "You are so _stupid_!" He hit Lloyd across the left arm with his cannon, and Lloyd cried out and staggered into the wall. "You _dare…_" Forcystus shook his head, calming down slightly. "…You have no idea." He walked over to Lloyd, who cowered away from him. "Lloyd. Stand." Fearfully, Lloyd clambered to his feet, shying away. "…Lloyd. I lost my temper," he murmured. "Forgive me. I should not have done that. Especially since you have not got your Exsphere." Lloyd backed away slightly. "…Did I hurt you badly?" He asked. Lloyd shook his head stubbornly.

"I-I'll be fine, Lord… Forcystus…" He murmured, really regretting what he had said. He hadn't thought about it, just as Forcystus had got too angry.

"…Be careful what you say," the Desian murmured. "How did you know, Lloyd? You could never have got out of your cell… Wait…" Lloyd took a step back, afraid Forcystus was going to take the Lens away. He needed that. Strangely, however, the Cardinal simply laughed. "The Lens. Am I right?" Lloyd nodded slowly. "No wonder… Lloyd. You must promise me you will not use it when I am not there again, not unless I give you permission. Understood? Else I will have to confiscate it." Lloyd nodded. "I expect you were angry with me over that woman's death…"

"Harriet. You said her name was Harriet… Lord Forcystus," Lloyd cut in quietly. Forcystus nodded slowly.

"Indeed. Harriet Baron," Forcystus murmured. "She was from Asgard, I believe. Transferred from that Ranch to mine. A bad idea, she was never the sort to be suited to the work here. I did try to have her transferred back, but nothing came of it." Lloyd looked at him. He knew all that about one prisoner at his Ranch? Did he really care? She would have died in the end anyway… "I gave her mercy. I know you did not like it, nor what she said to you…"

"She called me a dog! Your… Your puppy! I am no Desian's dog! …Lord Forcystus…" Lloyd complained. Forcystus laughed.

"I am sorry if it appears that way. Come, Lloyd. I shall take you back to your cell and heal the wounds I… Inflicted." Lloyd winced. "And no, Lloyd, you are no dog, despite what people may say. She most likely though you were a Desian in training, for no prisoner knows all that much about the system here at the Ranch, and humans cannot tell mana." Lloyd flinched away as Forcystus reached out towards him, and the Desian sighed.

"You will have to touch me sometime, Lloyd; else you will never get through the security fields. Come on."

In the end Lloyd did allow Forcystus to lead him through the security fields, and when they reached his cell Forcystus told him that he was under no circumstances to watch him type in the passcode. Lloyd looked away. It didn't matter, he knew it anyway.

"In. Go on," Forcystus told him after a few seconds, and Lloyd walked in. He didn't even want to disobey; the thought of Forcystus doing what he had ordered his guards to do was chilling. He suspected that Forcystus could hit a lot stronger than his guards. He'd just given a frightening enough demonstration. Forcystus put one hand on Lloyd's shoulder and guided him into a sitting position, since he seemed unwilling to do anything himself. He frowned when he noticed the blood. "Healing wind," he murmured, magic gathering around him and spreading over Lloyd, who made a grateful noise. Healing wind had just replaced First aid as his favourite magic. Forcystus made an unhappy noise and wiped the trail of blood away from Lloyd's forehead with the back of his hand, and Lloyd recoiled slightly. Forcystus looked at him. "You need to be careful with your words," he cautioned. "I was angrier than usual there, I will admit, but still… You insulted me more than you probably thought you did."

"I don't get it… Lord Forcystus," Lloyd murmured. "It was just a cut…" Forcystus sighed and shook his head.

"You didn't seem to think that a few minutes ago, and it is not the cut that matters to me, it is more who inflicted it…" He looked away slightly. "I am a Grand Cardinal, Lloyd, I have-"

"An appearance to keep up, I know… Lord Forcystus," Lloyd finished for him with a grin. Forcystus smiled slightly.

"I know you're up to something, Lloyd Irving," he accused. "I can tell. You've been far too well-behaved lately. What do you want?"

"I'd quite like a chip so the guards don't try and push me into the lights," Lloyd replied innocently. Forcystus shook his head.

"No, Lloyd. I will have a talk with the guards about that. But if I give you a chip I don't see what would be keeping you in any longer. And the whole point of a prisoner is that they stay _in_." He smiled at Lloyd. "You are an unusually innovative human, and I don't doubt for a second that you could get out of the main gate if you wanted to." Lloyd's face fell.

"…Please?" He asked. "Lord Forcystus?" Forcystus laughed.

"No, Lloyd, and that's final," he replied. "You can get along just fine without a chip. If you have the sense to stay away from the security fields…" Lloyd sighed. It had been worth a try. Forcystus was too clever for his own good… Which was why he needed the blackmail.

"Who cut your cheek, Lord Forcystus?" He asked. "You never said." Forcystus looked at him carefully.

"That, Lloyd… Is classified information," he replied. "Now do me a favour and stay in here for once. I don't know how you manage to get all of the passcodes I try for this cell, but if I find you out of the cell again I will be extremely displeased. Understood?" Lloyd nodded. So he could get out of the cell, he just had to be back in it before Forcystus noticed.

"So it was the person in the message, then?" Lloyd asked, jumping to conclusions. Forcystus turned, looking as though he was going to hit him again, but then he shook his head and turned away.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Lloyd," he told him. Lloyd frowned.

"So it was this Yggdrasill guy, then?" He asked, wondering what the creepy man was doing in the Ranch. Unless it was that investigating thing he'd mentioned…

"Do not speak ill of Lord Yggdrasill!" Forcystus reprimanded, and Lloyd recoiled slightly. "You will speak of him with his proper title, and you will not insinuate that his judgement is flawed, do you understand me?" Lloyd looked at Forcystus, and the fear on his face was not masked very well by his anger.

"…Yes, Lord Forcystus," he murmured. "Are you scared of him, Lord Forcystus?" Forcystus twitched slightly.

"Lord Yggdrasill's will is absolute," he replied. "He is our leader, and he will lead the half-elves into a new age. One where we are not persecuted wherever we turn. One where we can live in peace!" He turned away from Lloyd and stood up. "And, most likely, one where there are no humans. Hate me if you will, Lloyd. I am a Desian. Don't I deserve your hatred?" Lloyd looked confused. Where had that come from?

"…I hate what you do," he replied. "…Lord Forcystus. I hate that you're keeping me locked up. I hate what your… Leader plans. But I…" He hesitated. "…I don't hate you, I guess." Forcystus frowned, resting his hand on the wall of the cell.

"Why?" He asked. Lloyd thought about it.

"Well… Lord Forcystus." Forcystus sighed at that. "You've been… Kind to me, I guess. For a Desian. I mean, you did say any other Cardinal would have had me… Killed. And you didn't just stick me in the cell and forget about me. You've got a non-aggression treaty with Iselia, which is unique, right?" Forcystus nodded wearily. "And… You're not as cold as the rest of them. I guess you try to be, but I can tell." Forcystus hit the side of the cell unexpectedly, making Lloyd wince back. Had he said the wrong thing?

"Not as cold…" He murmured. "You don't hate me… Because… I'm half-human, as well as half-elf." He shook his head. "Because I show that. Urgh, Lord Yggdrasill was right. I will be the cause of my own demise. I'm far too compassionate." He looked at Lloyd. "…I will talk with the guards about playing tag with the security lights. I know that what you witnessed today has affected you, but think. At least I let you know the truth, see the truth. And isn't that better than not knowing?" He turned and let, the door shutting behind him with finality.

_Because he's half-human, too?_ Lloyd wondered. _Yggdrasill? So… I was right. He has had another visit from that creepy half-elf…_

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**A/N: **Beware the spandex-wearing maniac! Ahahaha! R&R please ^^


	7. Chapter seven: A halfelf's Darkness

Hullo people! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I appreciate the comments... And whoops, better go back and edit chapter 2 -sheepish look-.

I'm off to Sheffield tomorrow for an interview! Yay! If I get in there that makes 3 unis out of four! Now to wait until early december for Oxford to reply... -crosses fingers, touches wood, etc.-

**Disclaimer**: I neither own nor make profit from ToS. Much to my dismay.

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Chapter seven: A half-elf's darkness. (Or 'creepy spandex strikes back')

"Well, well, haven't we hit the jackpot? Lord Forcystus' puppy." Lloyd was roused from his sleep by the sound of a Desian opening the door.

"…Wh?" He mumbled, confused.

"Get up, maggot," a female voice spat, and Lloyd sat up, rubbing his eyes tiredly. There were three Desians in the doorway, a Spearwoman, who was a sergeant by the look of her rank slides, and two rankless Whipmasters. He groaned inwardly. None of the guards were ever nice to him, the only one who ever treated him like a… Person was Forcystus. Lloyd shook his head. He had been about to think _human being_, but of course… For a Ranch, that meant like scum anyway.

"We're going for a walk, little puppy," the first voice told him snidely, and Lloyd glared at him. He was no dog! The guard hit him.

"Ah!" Lloyd cried, flinching backwards and rubbing his injured cheek.

"Don't you dare look at me that way, you inferior filth!" The guard reprimanded. "I hope you do not treat Lord Forcystus in that manner!"

…_Forcystus doesn't mind it, _Lloyd thought. "No, Sir," Lloyd murmured aloud. He had already decided that these guards were among the 'bad' category, the sort that had fun seeing how well he dodged the security lights…

"Oh, if we're taking the doggy for a walk, we should do things properly," the female Desian decided. Lloyd moved backwards slightly, wary of her, and she laughed. "You've got to be _careful_ with dogs, sometimes they bite!" The whipmasters laughed, and one of them grabbed him.

"Ah! No! G-get off!" Lloyd protested, struggling, but that just made them laugh more. One of them got out one of the collars they put on the Ranch prisoners – guards always had a few of them just in case – and it was fastened around his neck despite his struggles. "Please! S-stop this!" Lloyd begged. The woman hit him.

"You should stay silent and let us. Lord Forcystus clearly hasn't trained his pet so well," she sneered. Lloyd held back tears.

"L-Lord Forcystus will n-not ap-prove of this!" He stammered. The woman hit him.

"Don't you speak of our Lord like you know him," she spat, and Lloyd recoiled. "Clearly this doggy bites!" Lloyd sobbed as the laughing Desians forced him against the wall and tied a gag around his mouth, then tied rope to the collar. "On the floor, like the dog you are, human!" The female spat, and Lloyd, shaking, not daring to defy them, sank to the floor. Why were they tormenting him so? Forcystus had said… He'd promised…

_What did I do wrong? _He wondered, wincing as the woman kicked him.

"Crawl," she spat, laughing at his attempts to keep up as he was dragged along the corridors. He fell on his side on several occasions, which only resulted in the female kicking him back up again. He was crying silently, he didn't even know where they were taking him. He didn't dare protest. He knew by now that protesting was pointless when the Desians were armed and he wasn't.

Soon they got to Lloyd's least favourite part of the Ranch – the moving lights.

_Oh please no. Please, please no, _Lloyd begged mentally as they got close. _Forcystus promised, he promised…_

"Let's see the doggy _play_," the woman suggested maliciously. Lloyd let out a muffled sob.

"Ah, sergeant, Lord Forcystus said…" One of the whipmasters started. Lloyd felt a little better then. Forcystus had kept to his word; he had had a talk with the guards. However, it didn't seem to have done much good.

"What Lord Forcystus doesn't know won't hurt him," she replied, grinning evilly. "You won't tell, will you, scum?" Lloyd shook his head miserably as she kicked him again. "Don't be such goody-goodies. It'll be fun!" Lloyd whimpered, feeling more like the dog they claimed him to be with each passing second.

He barely dodged the first light, and had to physically roll out of the way of the second, nearly choking himself on the collar as it pulled on the lead. The whipmasters found this extremely amusing, their original reluctance now gone. Lloyd felt his hair singe under the third light – more proof than he really wanted that Forcystus wasn't lying. He crawled on as he was tugged, sobbing so hard he didn't see the fourth light until it was too late for him to dodge-

The lights went off.

_Wh… What…? _Lloyd wondered, making a muffled noise of confusion.

"And just _what_, exactly, is going on?" Lloyd had never felt more relieved to hear Forcystus' voice in his whole life. The lead was dropped, and he heard the Desians stand to attention. "Well? An explanation?" Forcystus demanded, walking up. Lloyd heard his shoes hit the metal, so deep was the silence.

"Ah… Milord… We were…" The female started. Forcystus knelt by Lloyd and lifted his head, and Lloyd's eyes met his, the terror in them evident. Forcystus regarded the gag distastefully and removed it.

"…Lord Forcystus…" Lloyd murmured, trying to stop the tears. He did _not_ want to appear weak in front of the Cardinal. That would completely destroy any reputation he had.

"Don't worry," Forcystus murmured, standing up. "I highly doubt any excuse you can come up with for this will be satisfactory. Did I not _explicitly _forbid any messing around with the security lights? You know the boy is not chipped!"

"Milord, we…" One whipmaster started.

"Silence! Imbecile," Forcystus growled. "I will see all three of you in the control room in three hours. If you do not turn up, you will be extremely sorry, is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," they chorused.

"Get out of my sight," Forcystus growled, and they saluted and turned. Lloyd was certain he heard the female bark softly under her breath as they left. _Dog. Pet._

"L-lord Forcystus…" Lloyd murmured again. Forcystus shook his head slowly, gentle hands removing the collar from his neck and throwing it to one side.

"I trust you sustained no damage?" He asked. Lloyd shook his head.

"Apart from to my pride… and a few bruises where I fell…" He replied, letting the Desian help him to his feet.

"Such idiots," Forcystus growled, looking angry. "Lloyd, I'm sorry. I did tell them… But if you are not hurt, then that is something." Lloyd looked at the floor.

"Why do… They all… Treat me like some sort of dog, Lord Forcystus?" He asked. "They all call me… Your pet…"

"Ignore them," Forcystus responded. "You are nothing of the sort." Lloyd shook his head slowly.

"…I follow you around… And, I…" He started. Forcystus put a finger on his lips, and it startled him in to silence until he pulled away, glaring.

"You are no pet," he told him. "The very idea of keeping another sentient being as a pet is, quite frankly, sickening to me." He picked up the collar from the floor, eyeing it with distaste. "They simply want an excuse as to why I treat you as if you are… A person." Lloyd noted the same hesitation that he had had earlier.

_As if I am human, Forcystus? _He wondered. "Why do you, Lord Forcystus?" He asked aloud. Forcystus sighed and put the collar onto his arm, where it clacked against the bracelet.

"Because you deserve it," he replied. "…Here. I made a promise, didn't I?" he held out his hand, and Lloyd gasped. His Exsphere! He grabbed it out of Forcystus' hand in an instant, slotting it back into his Key Crest, where it glowed. Lloyd smiled, holding it up to the light. He didn't really feel complete without it after having it for so long.

"…I missed you, mom," he whispered, not caring what Forcystus thought. Strangely, when he looked up, the Cardinal was smiling.

"I should have returned it to you yesterday," he replied. "Forgive me. Anyway, come with me. There is little point in you returning to your cell now… I am going to have to make sure the guards you have assigned in future are more… Reliable." Lloyd swallowed nervously, wondering what was going to happen to the Desians who had tormented him. Probably nothing good. "If it makes you feel better, I shall try to use commands that seem less like you would give them to an animal. But you would be surprised how universal most are." Lloyd laughed softly, cheering up slightly. Forcystus, at least, had tried to keep to his promise. He had some honour after all.

"Lord Forcystus! Milord, please! This is urgent!" A Desian called urgently as they walked. Forcystus put a hand on Lloyd's shoulder to halt him and turned.

"What is it?" He asked. Lloyd noted with a wince that Forcystus' grip had tightened, like it had before when he was stopping the rebellion. Lloyd had thought it was anger, then, but perhaps it was something… Else.

"Milord, a representative from Cruxis! He demands to see you, Sir, he's in the control room…"

"Cruxis!" Forcystus cried, and Lloyd didn't even need to be listening carefully to hear the shock and fright. "Take Lloyd and-"

"Milord, he said now, he said…" The Desian stammered. Forcystus swore bitterly.

"Lloyd. Hide," he told him. Lloyd frowned.

"What? Why?" He asked. Forcystus shook his head.

"Don't question me! Just do it!" He snapped, heading off down the corridor. Lloyd blinked in confusion, then shook his head.

"I'm not a pet. I don't follow all your orders," he murmured, following silently.

He stopped outside the control room, creeping up, being careful to keep himself hidden. The security fields had all been deactivated, presumably because this guest from Cruxis wouldn't be able to get through them.

"…Apologies, Lord Yggdrasill, we had no idea…" Lloyd heard Forcystus saying.

_Yggdrasill!_ Lloyd thought. _What's that creepy half-elf doing here?_

"You should be prepared, Forcystus. I do not appreciate having to talk to your… Underlings in order to get past your primitive defence systems." Lloyd winced. He knew how proud Forcystus was of those, he'd told him before how he'd built the entire system from scratch, even modifying the lighting system himself. That comment must have cut deep.

"Please, forgive me, Lord Yggdrasill. I assure you, I shall endeavour to make sure that nothing of the sort happens in future, I swear…"

"I do not need promises from a Desian-class half-elf, Forcystus," the man said coldly.

_Why is he so cruel to Forcystus? Where did he get the right to be so cruel, anyway?_ Lloyd wondered.

"I-I… Apologies, my Lord," Forcystus murmured. Lloyd could hear the hurt in his voice, and the fear. "I hope we did not inconvenience you?"

"Not much," the other replied, and he laughed softly under his breath. That laugh chilled Lloyd to the core. "I _do_ so hope you've not been… _Hiding_ anything from me, Forcystus."

"No, my Lord! No, I swear!" Forcystus replied quickly. Lloyd, having a sudden thought, took the Magic Lens out and held it up to the light. In the lens, he could see Yggdrasill's right hand, with the creepy moving purple things, and Forcystus on his knees. That was the most shocking part for Lloyd. Forcystus! Kneeling! "I have kept nothing from you, nothing! This Ranch is completely open to you, my Lord! As ever!"

"I do so hope you are not… Lying to me." The hand was pointed at Forcystus in a threatening manner, the purple appendages coming to a halt to point at Forcystus' bowed head.

"No, my Lord. Never, my Lord," he replied. "My life is yours, my Lord." Yggdrasill laughed coldly.

"Indeed. Look at me, Forcystus. Stop acting the dog." Forcystus looked up, confused, and Yggdrasill slashed downwards with his hand unexpectedly, making Forcystus cry out and put a hand to his cheek, brushing his fingers against the wound and looking at the blood. Lloyd saw a slash on his cheek – it was identical to the one he had had before!

_It WAS Yggdrasill! _Lloyd realised, triumphant. He also felt… A little sorry for Forcystus. _No! He's a Desian! I can't think that way!_ He chided himself.

"For… Give me, my Lord…" Forcystus murmured, looking down again.

"Forcystus! Look at me!" Yggdrasill snapped, and Forcystus looked up again, wincing on instinct as Yggdrasill moved his hand, making the half-elf laugh. "You are truly pathetic," he remarked.

"…Yes, my Lord," Forcystus murmured. "Whatever you say, my Lord."

"You will be pleased to know the trace has vanished from your Ranch," Yggdrasill continued. "And the journey of the Chosen continues unhindered. I am, however, curious as to what caused this unexplained signal… Have you _any_ clue?" Forcystus was visibly shaking.

"N-no, my Lord. Nothing out of the ordinary has occurred…" Yggdrasill hit him; Lloyd could even hear the hit through the door without the aid of the Lens. He winced.

"You are so pathetic," he murmured, and Lloyd could see Forcystus holding the side of his face with one hand. Lloyd suspected he would have more than one cut this time. "Slave, orphan, what next?" He laughed, and Lloyd could see Forcystus' shaking increase. Was he… Crying? "And you are meant to be a hero. Hahaha! Some hero."

"I… Am nothing compared to you, my Lord… Nothing…" He murmured, and Lloyd heard his voice catch. He _was_ crying! Yggdrasill laughed.

"Of course not," he replied. "If _anything_ out of the ordinary occurs at this Ranch, especially if it relates to us, I will be down here again. And it will not just be your face that suffers. Understood?"

"Yes, my Lord… I assure you, you will have no cause to trouble yourself, my Lord…" Forcystus murmured. Yggdrasill lifted his head up with a finger under his chin, and Lloyd saw his face in the view of the lens then.

"Do _not_. Disappoint me. Or you will be back up in Derris-Kharlan. I _will_ find the truth, Forcystus. You _are_ hiding something from me, like the pathetic defiant little dog you are. I took your eye, and I can take your freedom just as easily. If you are hiding… It would be easier on you to tell me now." Forcystus was still shaking; Lloyd could see the tears running down his face, mixing with the blood from his right cheek.

"I swear, my Lord…" He started, taking a breath to compose himself. "I swear, I am hiding nothing. I shall conduct an investigation of my own into the origin of the signals, but the only explanation I can offer is an equipment malfunction, my Lord." Yggdrasill laughed.

"I am watching you, my little Forcystus," he remarked, making Lloyd shudder at the possessive tone. Forcystus was pulled up into a standing position, meaning that Lloyd could see most of Yggdrasill now. "I _know _you are hiding from me. I know you were a success. I do not make mistakes, Forcystus, remember that." Forcystus was visibly shaking, moving his head away when Yggdrasill ran his finger along the bloodied tears. "And when I find out the truth… It had better be on your favour. Or you will be very, very sorry you every tried to give me the slip… For-cys-tus." Lloyd frowned at the way he accented every syllable, then realised with a jolt that the meeting was likely ending. Keeping the Lens open, he made his way down the corridor to the nearest room, which he snuck into. The sound of talking took on that tinny quality once more as he couldn't hear it. "Hahaha… A fitting name for you. Pathetic. You may end up regretting the day you escaped your captivity, Forcystus… Sybak is preferable to Derris-Kharlan to you, no?" Forcystus was shaking still, nodding mutely. "You are still that same slave, Forcystus. You still _belong_, just no longer to the humans. To me. And you will do as I say, yes?

"Y-yes, my Lord Yggdrasill, whatever you ask," Forcystus stammered out, his voice broken. Yggdrasill nodded and dropped him.

"Good," he replied, light gathering around him, and he disappeared in a bright white light. Lloyd frowned. Could he see… _Feathers_?

"…Lloyd. Oh, Kharlan. Lloyd," Forcystus murmured, still on the floor where he had fallen. "I have to keep him away from Lloyd… The Exsphere… It must be Lloyd's Exsphere… But I can't take it from him again… Maybe I can get a masker on him? Dirk will never do anything for me, not whilst I hold Lloyd, but I can… I can…" He ran his right hand over his bloody cheek, cursing fluently. "Damn this!" He slammed his hand down on to the floor. "Damn this all! Cruxis… Gah!" He stood up. "I can't be seen in the Ranch like this…" He shook his head. "I'm a wreck… Lord Yggdrasill… I'm so weak…"

"You're not weak, Forcystus," Lloyd murmured, putting the Lens down. "You're not weak at all…" He put the Lens back in his pocket and exited the room, determined to find somewhere that would make it look like he'd actually done as Forcystus said and hidden.

When Forcystus eventually found him, he was as composed as ever, showing no sign at all of the pain he had just been put through.

"Our guest has gone," he informed Lloyd. "I apologise for the… Inconvenience I caused you. I hope none of my Desians caused you problems?" Lloyd shook his head. He hadn't actually seen any. Forcystus smiled slightly. "Very well. I suppose I should get you some food, shouldn't I? I doubt those… Idiots gave you any breakfast?" Lloyd shook his head, wondering how Forcystus could be so concerned after what he had just been put through. "Though so. Very well, follow me." Lloyd followed obediently, determined not to cause Forcystus trouble. How could the Cardinal just brush off that encounter and carry on? And he thought he was _weak_?

"Lord Forcystus…" Lloyd started once he had his food. Forcystus looked over at him. He seemed distracted.

"Hm?" He asked. He had been examining his cannon previously, and Lloyd knew why. It still had his blood on it.

"What's Derris-Kharlan?" He asked, seemingly innocently. Forcystus jerked slightly, as if in shock.

"_Where did you hear that word?_" He demanded, looking at Lloyd properly. Lloyd moved his chair away slightly. Forcystus was scaring him a little…

"I-I just heard some of th-the guards talking about it in p-passing and I wondered…" He stammered out, hoping Forcystus didn't start hurting him again. Perhaps he hadn't timed that question right…

"…Hm," Forcystus murmured, looking away again, across the room. "Derris-Kharlan is… It is the home of the elves."

"Elves?" Lloyd murmured. Forcystus nodded.

"The elven race originated on Derris-Kharlan. However, most elves now dwell in a village named Heimdall, you won't know it. Mostly it is half-elves on Derris-Kharlan now. No, only half-elves." He sighed. "No Desians, though."

"Have you been to Derris-Kharlan?" Lloyd asked. "It sounds exciting." He meant it. It seemed quite new to him, the birthplace of the elves!

"…No," Forcystus replied. Lloyd frowned slightly.

_Yggdrasill said…_He thought, confused.

"I have never been. Desian-class half-elves rarely go to Derris-Kharlan. Haha! Lord Yggdrasill's little whore… Pronyma. _Lady_ Pronyma, the head of the Cardinals, is there a lot, however." Lloyd looked a little shocked at the harsh language. "Derris-Kharlan is not a place for humans, you would not want to go there," Forcystus continued. "It is not exciting in the least. Indeed, it is… Dead." Lloyd's face fell.

"Oh… I just… Wondered…" He murmured. Forcystus looked at him, sadness on his face.

"It is no crime to wonder," he murmured. "But it is not a place for humans. Just bear that in mind, hmm?" Lloyd nodded, going back to his food. Forcystus was definitely hiding. He just had to find a good enough opportunity to make him elaborate on what Yggdrasill had said.

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**A/N**: Please review if you liked it ^^ Also I'm looking for another Beta, as my current one hasn't responded to any emails, so if anyone's interested please email/mention it in your review. Cheers guys! Ciao~


	8. Chapter eight: Secrets and Lies

Hello again guys! Early update! I'd actually got this finished on Friday, but I had a rehersal/concert weekend... Lucky, lucky me *dies of tiredness overload*

SoS - You'll see why Forcy's being treated so poorly by Yggdrasil as the story progresses, promise.

Symphoniafan - unfortunately, Kratty is busy leading Colette around the world...

Sliver - In chapter 13, if all progresses according to my planning sheet *grin*

PP18 (belatedly) - Sheffield, Manchester and York have all given me offers, and I have received an invitation to interview from Oxford! At St. John's, which wasn't the college I put down, but I'm not gonna complain XD

I now have a Beta! Yay! Thanks to **Freakyanimegal456**, and also to **Nightfoot** for volunteering - you're both awesome. (Freakyanimegal - I did try to put some more "OMGness" in, but it just... Didn't fit. Tried though ^^ I think it all just goes over Lloyd's head. Forcy can practically hear it woosh.)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything. At all. Not even Forcystus... More's the pity.

I've been wanting to use this chapter title for a long time *giggle*

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Chapter eight: Secrets and lies.

The next four days passed without event. Lloyd was quite disappointed to find that Forcystus was not obviously more edgy; otherwise he would have used it and asked questions. He knew, however, that he had to play it safe. He did not want to bear the brunt of Forcystus' anger again.

Forcystus had let him train with him twice more, seemingly quite anxious that Lloyd should learn some moves other than Demon Fang and Tiger Blade. The excuse Forcystus gave was that it gave him something to do – apparently he spent very little time actually in the Ranch. But Lloyd knew that was a lie – he had been using the lens more than he perhaps should have, and he had seen Forcystus making time for him. That confused him a lot more than why Forcystus would want him to be able to defend himself.

However, Lloyd had picked the third training session to as a question that had been bugging him for a long time.

"Lord Forcystus…" He started, as Forcystus put his sword down and picked up his cannon again.

"Hm?" He asked, not looking up as he fastened the cannon to his arm.

"What happened to your eye?" Forcystus looked up at him and sighed, turning back to his cannon.

"…An accident," he murmured. Lloyd frowned.

_That wasn't what Yggdrasill said,_ he thought. "What sort of accident? Lord Forcystus." Forcystus gave him another look, the sort he often gave him when he was late adding the title on the end.

"…Just an accident," he replied. Lloyd gave him a look of his own.

"Please, Lord Forcystus, tell me. I'm interested," he persisted. He _was_ going to find out the truth. Forcystus had finished reattaching the cannon at this point, and he shook his head with a laugh.

"Lloyd…" He murmured. "If you're so interested, look." He moved the eyepatch up so that Lloyd could see what was left of his eye. Lloyd gasped. There were three clear marks across it, and it looked as though they should have continued on but had been healed at some point.

_Yggdrasill,_ he thought instantly, remembering the purple blade-like things that he had cut Forcystus' face with before. "What… Sort of accident could do that?" He asked. Forcystus put the eyepatch back, and it made a strange noise. Lloyd realised rather belatedly that it must be some sort of technological device. Trust a Desian.

"A bad one," Forcystus replied. "It was my own fault, really." He stood up. "You're far too interested in me, Lloyd," he remarked. Lloyd went red. That sounded quite bad, in his opinion. Forcystus laughed. "That's not meant to be an insulting comment, Lloyd. You just constantly question me. Why do you want to know so badly about me?"

"Well, it's just…" Lloyd murmured, trying to come up with an excuse. After all, 'I need something to blackmail you with' would hardly go down well with the Cardinal. "I'm… Interested. Lord Forcystus." Forcystus chuckled.

"Very well," he replied, clearly not believing him. "Come, I will take you back to your cell. I have work to do."

"Can't I come? Please? Lord Forcystus…" Lloyd begged, putting on his most appealing face. _Please say yes, I need an opportunity to get more out of you…_ Forcystus sighed.

"Fine, fine. It's nothing important anyway. But I want absolute behaviour from you, understood? If anything occurs I will not make allowances." Lloyd nodded, swallowing slightly. He would have to be careful what he did. He knew Forcystus was still on edge from Yggdrasill's visit, even if he didn't show it.

Lloyd followed him down the corridors, letting Forcystus take him through the security fields without protest. They passed a few Desians who looked as though they wanted to give Lloyd snide looks, but all they did was salute Forcystus or murmur a few words along the lines of "Lord Forcystus" or "sir" and continue walking. Forcystus made a derisive noise when they were out of hearing range most of the time. There seemed to be very few Desians that he actually respected. Lloyd had seen how he behaved around those he held some respect for, and it was quite different. Roy being one.

"You brought the human with you, Sir? Are you sure that's wise?" Roy asked as they walked in. Forcystus shrugged.

"What harm will he do?" He replied. "Sit down, Lloyd, and don't bother me." Lloyd nodded and went and sat in a corner, watching Forcystus carefully. The Desian was fairly tired – he worked himself as hard as he worked Lloyd when he trained him – but he got to work straight away, directing a glare at the holograph projector as he sat down. Lloyd supposed a lot of unwanted messages must come through that.

Forcystus' job seemed to be sorting Ranch records and various other things regarding the humans held there. Lloyd looked away in disgust when Forcystus started to type in details of what the computer so coldly termed 'processed host bodies'. Forcystus didn't even notice. Clearly, he had a lot of work to do.

Lloyd eventually fell asleep; his head leant back against the wall, until Forcystus lightly shook him awake.

"Mhhnnh?" Lloyd asked, confused.

"Here," Forcystus told him softly, handing him a sheet of paper – Lloyd presumed it was a printout. He blinked. A few weeks ago, he hadn't even known that such a thing even existed. "Take it. Go on." Lloyd took the paper in confusion, and Forcystus smiled slightly at him and went back over to his computer. Lloyd looked at the paper.

"Mom!" He exclaimed softly. At his desk, Forcystus smiled slightly. Lloyd examined the printout. It wasn't the escapee record he'd been looking at before, but rather her Ranch record. He noted that the Exsphere in her hand was identical to his – proof that the Exsphere he had had once belonged to his mother, not that he needed it.

Name: Anna Irving

Age on Capture: 17

Designation: A012

Area taken from: Luin

Ranch: Asgard

Ranch Cardinal: Kvar

And following it were a number of details about her Exsphere, her suitability for being a Host Body and her participation in the Angelus Project. Lloyd looked at that last section more closely.

'Designated suitable for participation in Angelus project; development of Hi-Exsphere (link – Cruxis Crystal) within human host, chance of success within Host Body 62.4%, current success rate – 0.2% Sylvarant.' There was a gap here, as though information had been erased, and Lloyd looked up at Forcystus suspiciously. The Cardinal didn't even notice his gaze; he was so absorbed in his work, so Lloyd looked back at his printout. 'Development phase on escape – phase 3. Reason for termination – outside assistance rendering subject inaccessible.' Lloyd smiled slightly. So someone had broken his mother out of the Ranch – his father, perhaps? Forcystus had never said anything about his father. He hadn't been held at a Ranch, though. That was all Lloyd knew. 'Presumed Hi-Exsphere developmental phase – final. Location unknown.' Lloyd's smile widened. Forcystus hadn't said anything! Ha, and he was meant to be a Desian. But then, Forcystus didn't like Kvar at all… Lloyd looked further down the sheet; at the bottom was a note… 'Note – subject bred with outside human – child known to be male, presumed deceased.' Lloyd's eyes widened. He was thought dead? That would explain why they hadn't come after him in all those years… 'Place of death: Iselia woods, with child.' Lloyd paused. He wasn't sure he wanted to read on.

'Cause of death: Fatal sword wound inflicted by father of the child upon unleashing of Exsphere by Cardinal Kvar. Cause of death of child: Fall, cliff near Iselia Ranch.' Lloyd felt sick. His father? His _father_ had killed his mother? He re-read the sentence. '_Upon unleashing of Exsphere by Cardinal Kvar.'_ No, his father hadn't killed his mother… Kvar had. He shuddered at the thought of what Marble had been turned into by Forcystus. His mother… That had happened to her… His father would have had no choice… He shook his head slowly.

_I guess this is what Forcystus meant when he said no Desian killed mom…_ He thought, now wishing he hadn't said such cruel things to Forcystus before. He looked at the picture. She was dressed in the standard Ranch clothes, and looked as unhappy as the humans held prisoner in Forcystus' Ranch. She had Lloyd's hair colour, but bright, deep green eyes. _I suppose my eye colour comes from my father, then…_ Lloyd thought. _Mom… I wish I'd known you better…_ He couldn't help but bring to mind one of his earliest memories, one of the few things he could remember of when he had still been with his parents. He was sitting on his father's shoulders, looking up at the stars, and he could hear his mother's voice in the background, cautioning them to be careful, and the deep, kind laugh of his father. They both sounded happy despite the words of his mother. He knew he had giggled and tried to grab at the stars, and his father had put him down, making his mother say, 'be careful, you know he can't fly…' As if it were something normal. He couldn't remember his father's reply, but he could remember his voice, deep and reassuring. He sighed sadly, letting the paper fall. Forcystus looked up.

"What's wrong, Lloyd?" He asked. Lloyd looked up at him, wondering. Now he thought about it… Had he heard Forcystus' voice when he was younger?

"…Nothing, Lord Forcystus… I'm sorry I disturbed you," he murmured, picking the fallen printout back up, folding it and putting in his pocket, alongside the Magic Lens. Forcystus gave him a look before going back to work.

The next disruption was not caused by Lloyd, but rather by the holograph projector. Forcystus cursed softly as he glanced at the code.

"Lloyd, out," he insisted. Lloyd started to protest, but Roy grabbed him and forced him under the consoles as the screen came on. Roy held one hand over his mouth, bending over the console to look as if he were working.

"Forcystus, I trust you are there?"

"Would you care if I wasn't, Kvar?" Forcystus replied. Lloyd fell silent instantly. Kvar! The Desian who'd caused…

"Not. A sound," Roy whispered softly in his ear, taking his hand away to give a more realistic impression of working. Lloyd nodded instantly. Kvar wanted his Exsphere. Kvar… Wanted him dead.

"Well, the inconvenience of having to leave a message would certainly be mildly irritating," Kvar replied. Lloyd shivered, noticing his eyes. They were cold. Black. What had that half-elf been messing with?

"Just tell me what you want. _Some_ of us are working," Forcystus pointed out. Lloyd smiled slightly at that, but Kvar just laughed.

"You've got an interesting Exsphere somewhere in your Ranch, Forcystus," he informed him. Forcystus rolled his eye.

"Oh, please, not that again. Were you the one who told Lord Yggdrasill about Angelic traces? It's just equipment malfunction, Kvar." Lloyd's hand automatically went to his Exsphere, and, just to be safe, he slid it out of the Key Crest. The light in it dimmed, and he held it in his hand, waiting. He was trying not to shake in nervousness.

"My equipment does _not_ malfunction, Forcystus," Kvar spat. Forcystus smiled slightly. "And no, I have not even been looking at your Ranch until today. If someone has been… Speaking with Lord Yggdrasill, it is not me."

"Rodyle, then," Forcystus murmured. "But nothing out of the ordinary has occurred here, Kvar. We have been running as normal." Kvar frowned suddenly, turning away in the monitor to look at something.

"Don't play games with me, Forcystus," he muttered, angry. Lloyd smiled. He'd got one up on the Cardinal! Forcystus frowned.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Kvar," he replied, perfectly honestly. Kvar made an irritable noise.

"I think it's about time I paid your Ranch a visit," he decided. Forcystus shrugged, but Lloyd could see his right hand twitch, like it often did when he was angry or frightened. He wondered which it was, and if Kvar knew.

"Come if you will, but there is no reason for it," Forcystus replied. "And I am sure you do not wish to spend any time away from your _precious_ projects." Kvar made an angry noise.

"Don't patronise me," he spat. Lloyd grinned. Forcystus certainly had the upper hand.

_Wait, why am I cheering him on? He's a Desian_! Lloyd reprimanded himself.

"I will come to the Ranch presently. I suppose I should anyway, it's been a while since another Cardinal has been to your Ranch."

"I've had visits from Cruxis. I think that more than counts," Forcystus countered. "Lord Yggdrasill himself came to see the Ranch, and found nothing out of the ordinary." Kvar made a derisive noise.

"I note he didn't decide to leave a mark like usual. Maybe he thought you needed your other eye, hm?" Forcystus' fists clenched.

"Kvar, the past is not to be brought up and you know it. What happened on Derris-Kharlan is…" He trailed off and shook his head, cursing under his breath. Lloyd smiled. He had some ammunition now.

"Oh, yes. You do so hate the past, don't you, Forcystus?" Kvar remarked with a slight smile. The tables had turned. "Are you ashamed of it? Or simply worried that others might learn that you were-"

"Kvar!" Forcystus cut him off. "We all have things we would rather keep hidden. Fine, so you are coming. Tell me when so I can have the security fields shut down." Kvar laughed.

"I'll surprise you. Let's see how quick you are on your feet, hm?" Forcystus cursed softly as Kvar laughed. "End Message." The holograph projector went blank, the infamous 'no current message' appearing. Forcystus said a long string of curse words to do with Kvar.

"…Alright, Lloyd… You can stop hiding under the monitor now," he murmured softly, and Lloyd crawled out, Exsphere still in his hand. A look of understanding appeared on Forcystus' face. "I see…" He murmured.

"You lied to me," Lloyd accused. Forcystus simply gave him the look until he sheepishly added "Lord Forcystus."

"Lord Forcystus does not have to tell a human the truth," Roy remarked, but Forcystus silenced him.

"Perhaps not. But you do not want the truth," he murmured to Lloyd. Lloyd looked put out.

"I do, though," he murmured. "I want to know what happened to you… Lord Forcystus. Why this Derris-Kharlan place scares you so much. And what's a Sybak?" Forcystus sighed in resignation.

"And I do not wish to tell you," he replied. "Purely because I have a feeling you will use it against me. I am not exactly a friend, am I?" He turned back to his monitor. "Be careful with your Exsphere. I would rather you didn't have it in at all, but I know what you will say to that, also a human without an Exsphere in a Ranch… Well." He laughed softly. "I will get your Key Crest disguised. It wouldn't do for Kvar to discover you." Lloyd nodded slowly. "Sit back down. I'll be done with this soon." Lloyd, feeling a bit cheated, sat down where he had been before. Why did Forcystus always seem to know what he planned to do? It was beginning to become irritating…

Eventually, Forcystus finished, and he glanced over at Lloyd, who had, somehow, managed to fall asleep again. He shook his head.

"Typical," he murmured, going over to the boy and shaking him awake.

"Wha's… Tha star… Dad…?" He murmured sleepily, before his sleepy eyes locked on Forcystus. "Loo', mom, an angel…" He murmured. Forcystus shook him, hard, and he cried out as he was jarred about. "Ah! L-lord Forcystus, what…?" He asked, trying futilely to ward him off. Forcystus sighed.

"Stupid boy," he muttered. "Come on, you are going back to your cell." Lloyd looked a bit dejected there. "Don't look so glum," he snapped. "You're a prisoner, what do you expect?" Lloyd sighed. Forcystus clearly wasn't in a good mood.

"Were you afraid of Kvar or angry at him?" He asked absently. Forcystus frowned.

"What?" He asked. Lloyd smiled.

"When you were talking to Kvar, you hand was twitching, Lord Forcystus. It always does that when you're angry or frightened. Which was it?" He heard Roy chuckle softly under his breath.

"_Lord_ Kvar, Lloyd," Forcystus reprimanded. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Why should I call the Desian that caused my mom's death Lord?" Lloyd demanded angrily. Forcystus sighed.

"Because he is considerably higher than you within the Ranch system," he replied. "Now, come on. You have a cell to be put in whilst I do some more important work."

"What, going around beating up the prisoners?" Lloyd muttered sulkily, angry that Forcystus had managed to evade his question. Forcystus smacked him across the face.

"Just follow," he spat, getting up. Lloyd reluctantly got up to follow him, rubbing his face ruefully. He guessed he'd deserved that.

"Tell me, Lord Forcystus," Lloyd insisted as they walked. Forcystus stayed silent, as he had every time Lloyd had tried. "Please," he persisted. Forcystus remained silent. "What's so bad about Sybak? And…" He decided to try a different tactic. "Why do you hate the moon?" Forcystus frowned. _Yes! Reaction!_ Lloyd cheered.

"The moon?" He murmured. "Now you speak nonsense."

"Tethe'alla," Lloyd persisted. "You said you hated Tethe'alla. That's the moon, right?" Forcystus laughed softly.

"Lloyd…" He murmured. "Tethe'alla is not the moon. Tethe'alla is the world I was born in." Lloyd frowned.

"Now you're speaking nonsense… Lord Forcystus," he replied. Forcystus just laughed again.

"To you, indeed. To a half-elf, no. You will never go to Tethe'alla, besides. You need not concern yourself with it."

"Is Tethe'alla where you were kept as a slave?" Lloyd persisted. Forcystus looked at him.

"I was never a slave," he said sharply. "Don't pry."

"You were," Lloyd persisted. "Yggdrasill said so." Forcystus stopped, and grabbed Lloyd's arm. Lloyd froze.

"One. Lord Yggdrasill," Forcystus told him in a deadly whisper. "Two. I told you not to listen, you lying little toerag." He hit him, once, although not so hard. "Three. As far as you are to be concerned, I was never a slave. Never!" Lloyd flinched away, expecting another hit. Forcystus sighed and let go of him. "Give me the Lens," he demanded. Lloyd shook his head and backed away.

"I never used it," he replied. "I followed and listened, so there." Forcystus gave him the look. "…Lord Forcystus." He smiled slightly.

"So you disobeyed my orders, then," he replied. "How much did you hear, Lloyd?" Lloyd bit his lip. No point lying.

"…Pretty much all of it… Lord Forcystus…" He murmured. Forcystus cursed softly.

"…All of it. Lloyd…" He shook his head. "Why ask if you know the truth? About my eye?" Lloyd shrugged.

"I… Wanted to hear it from you… I guess…" He replied. Forcystus laughed softly.

"Very well," he murmured. "I have little choice. Come, I will take you back to your cell… Then I will tell you about Tethe'alla." Lloyd's expression brightened. Forcystus was going to tell him! At last!

Forcystus followed Lloyd into the cell, sitting on the end of the 'bed'. Lloyd sat against the wall, looking at him. Forcystus sighed softly and clicked the buttons on his cannon.

"…I was born in Tethe'alla…" He murmured. The cannon clicked open. "In a village called Exire. It is a… Flying village, kept in the air by the power of the summon Maxwell." He took his hand out of the cannon and leant it against the wall. "When I was three… They forced us out." He shook his head slowly. "Tethe'alla is nothing like Sylvarant. Nothing. It is the… Flourishing world."

"Flourishing?" Lloyd asked quietly, trying to process what he had just been told. A flying village in another world… Was that even possible? Forcystus nodded.

"Yes. Tethe'alla is parallel to Sylvarant, connected by the opposing summon spirits in both worlds. Whilst one flourishes, the other declines. The journey of the Chosen is designed so it reverses the mana flow, see? The seals are actually the location of the summon spirits. By awakening the summon spirit – that is, by defeating the guardian of the seal - the Chosen reverses the mana flow of that link. By releasing all five seals, the mana flow reverses completely and… In this case… Sylvarant becomes the flourishing world, the world the mana flows to." Lloyd was just watching him, a slightly lost look on his face. Forcystus shook his head slowly. "…Never mind. Tethe'alla has a lot more mana in the air than Sylvarant… You can't tell, but the mana here is very thin. So, the magitechnology and various other machines are widely used by humans, not just Desians."

"Why don't you go to Tethe'alla if there's more mana?" Lloyd asked. "Surely that would make more sense." _It's about the only thing in this whole explanation that does… _Forcystus shook his head.

"Desians stay in the declining world," he replied. "To harass the Chosen. It… Is complicated." Lloyd frowned.

"I thought you said you wouldn't kill Colette?" He accused. Forcystus nodded.

"I never said we tried. I said we harass the Chosen," he corrected gently. "It encourages the growth of the Cruxis Crystal. The guardians of the seal do similar. If exposed to stress, the mana in the body…" Lloyd was shaking his head slowly.

"You're talking like… It's an Exsphere," he murmured, taking the printout from his pocket.

'_Designated suitable for participation in Angelus project; development of Hi-Exsphere (link – Cruxis Crystal)…'_

"A Cruxis Crystal… _Is_ an Exsphere…" He murmured. Forcystus sighed and nodded.

"Yes," he replied. "A special kind of Exsphere that, when placed upon the body, causes it to grow to the effect that angelic effects are produced. The wings, and angelic powers, that are bestowed upon the Chosen by the Angels are simply another stage in the development of the Crystal. That is all Cruxis is."

"People with special Exspheres…" Lloyd murmured. Forcystus shook his head.

"Not… Quite," he cut in. "Half-elves." Lloyd looked up, frowning.

"What do you mean?" He asked. Forcystus looked away.

"Cruxis is made up entirely of half-elves… Ha… _Almost_ entirely," he replied. "The leader of Cruxis, Lord Yggdrasill… He is a half-elf. He wishes to create a world in which half-elves may live in peace, without prejudice from humans…"

"And that requires this?" Lloyd asked, spreading his arms to indicate the Ranch. "All this death? All this suffering?" Forcystus nodded slowly, not looking at Lloyd.

"The Exspheres," he replied. "Lord Yggdrasill needs the Exspheres. I… May have lied a little. I do know what Kvar's Angelus Project was. He was attempting to cultivate an Exsphere, turn it into a Cruxis Crystal within the human body. If he succeeded, he was going to present it to Lord Yggdrasill. Certainly the technique would have been valuable; he would have been promoted most likely… But then your mother ran off with it." He smiled slightly. "I can't say I was upset. I hate Kvar, I have to say. He doesn't believe in leaving the past in the past." Lloyd fell silent, looking at his Exsphere.

_So much pain for one little gem…_ He thought morosely.

"Ah… Anyway. I have gone off track," Forcystus murmured. "Sybak. Yes… Sybak is a town that is… Fairly close to the capital city, Meltokio. It's across the sea, but they have constructed a bridge, the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge." He sighed. "In Sybak there is an institute known as the Imperial Research Academy. It is a place for humans but… You will find half-elves there if you look hard enough."

"If you look hard enough?" Lloyd repeated, confused. Forcystus nodded.

"Yes. They tend to keep them locked up in their labs. Certainly, they are not allowed to leave. Half-elves are filth. Half-elves are savage. Half-elves are stupid, good for nothing, inferior!" He slammed his hand against the wall in anger, making Lloyd recoil slightly in fear. "…I'm sorry," he murmured, seeing Lloyd. "I suppose you think I've no right to be angry, treating humans the way I do."

"…People think that way in Sylvarant, too…" He murmured. "Why doesn't it ever change? I mean, here in Sylvarant you don't help yourselves, with the Ranches, but people need to learn to judge on who, not what, someone is. The world will never change unless its people change, too. And that goes for half-elves as much as humans." Forcystus gave him a funny look.

"…Wiser words than I would have expected from you," he murmured. "I hate Sybak because… I was held there a while. From when I was seven, until… Oh, I will have been in my thirties when I escaped." Lloyd looked at him strangely.

"How old _are_ you?" He asked. Forcystus bit his lip.

"…That isn't important," he replied. "When I escaped, I was on the run for a long while. Eventually I came across a small community of half-elves, but, the first night I was there… Humans attacked. They had been planning it for a while, or so I gathered. They had put sleeping herbs into the water. I was the only one who hadn't actually had any of the village's water, because I'd arrived so late at night… I fought the humans off alone. All of them. They were rather irritated to come across a half-elf that could actually defend himself, I think. They had been expecting an easy job. I killed them all." Lloyd gave him a shocked look. His tone hadn't even changed. "What? They were murderers. They would have killed me otherwise, and, at that time, I had done nothing wrong… Save, perhaps, being born." He laughed hollowly. "I was picked up by Cruxis after that. Anyway. In Tethe'alla there are six summon spirits, four of which form the seals. They are Celsius, disciple of everlasting ice, Gnome, the servant of mother earth, Shadow, the envoy from the dark abyss, and Volt, the hammer of godly thunder." He made a small noise under his breath. "The others are rarely seen. Maxwell, Ancient ruler of the elements, is in Exire, and no human can get there. Origin, Source of Heaven, Earth, and everything in between, Ruler of all…" He broke off with a quiet laugh. "Has a seal in the Torent Forest. A seal as in, it is attracted to the mana signature of a member of Cruxis. Until all the mana leaves their body – that is, they die – the seal remains in place and Origin is still bound to his last pactmaker. It is quite clever, really."

"Someone has to… To die?" Lloyd murmured. Forcystus nodded.

"But the chances of any summoner being let into the Torent forest are minimal. It is guarded by the elves in Heimdall. Only elves get in. And elves don't summon." He sighed and closed his eyes, tugging the eyepatch off his head. Lloyd looked away on instinct, not liking the sight of the scarred skin where Forcystus' eye should have been. "I have seen all the Seals of Tethe'alla, actually. The Imperial Research Academy thought it would be less dangerous if they had a half-elf child crawl around them instead of risking sending a human." His voice sounded bitter.

"…That is cruel…" Lloyd murmured. "…Gah! Why am I siding with you?" Forcystus looked at him, his face expressionless. "You're a Desian! You're holding me prisoner! I don't care about you!" Forcystus nodded.

"Quite right," he replied. "And you are forgetting something."

"…Lord Forcystus?" Lloyd murmured, realising that Forcystus hadn't actually picked him up on that until now. "…You… Weren't a Desian then, I guess. You were just… A child. My age. I'd hate to crawl around temples… For people who hated my very existence. It'd be like you forcing me to do all the work in the Ranch… Is that why?" Forcystus looked at him. "Is that why you do this? Is it… Revenge?" Forcystus shook his head.

"Nothing so petty," he replied. "I do this because I can." He stood up. "This Ranch is mine. I've done some pretty good things with this Ranch. The humans don't suffer as much as they used to – unnecessary suffering is wrong, despite what I was put through. You should see Kvar's Ranch. Terrible, it is. His extraction process, whilst being efficient, is also horribly painful for the humans. Although, I suppose, at that point they don't care any more. Still, I try." He walked over to Lloyd, looking down at him. "Why do you live, Lloyd? You live because you can. That is why I live. I live because I can. I do this because I can. Certainly, now I am a Cardinal I cannot escape it without bringing Cruxis down on my head, but I like to think I have some choice in the matter." Lloyd looked up at him, not shying away at the sight of his scars.

"It's still wrong," he murmured. Forcystus shrugged.

"Who are you to decide right and wrong? From your viewpoint, yes, it is wrong. Try looking at it from mine. Stand in a half-elf's shoes for a second. Look at it that way." Lloyd shook his head.

"It's still wrong! Nothing can justify sacrificing innocent lives for these!" He held up the hand with his Exsphere on. "So don't spout some story about sides at me… Lord Forcystus! It's nothing! It means nothing! These people are innocent. You can't exact revenge on innocents! You can't pay back the hatred you've been shown on innocents! What does their death achieve? Only more hatred, more suffering!" Forcystus knelt by him, and Lloyd moved backwards slightly, as if trying to back into the wall. Forcystus slid the bangle off his right wrist and put it on Lloyd's left, where it shone strangely. Lloyd looked up at him, confused.

"I will hide your Key Crest. Otherwise, Kvar will find you," Forcystus murmured. "We shall see what develops. For the love of Kharlan, don't try to escape from your cell when Kvar could arrive at any time." He retrieved his cannon and reattached it. "Please. I know you are wilful, but… Please don't do anything stupid. Not if you want to live." He walked out of the cell and locked it.

"Wait!" Lloyd called, but he walked out. "Damn it all…" He hit the floor. _Forcystus… What the hell are you trying to do…?_

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**A/N** - What indeed? I think it might be a while before I can update again because schoolwork/coursework/job work is killing me sloooowlllllyyyyy... But I'll do my best to get chapter 9 up within the fortnight ^^

Thanks in advance for reviews :D They make me happy.


	9. Chapter nine: Animal Instinct

**Hi again!**

Oh my god, I have so much schoolwork right now it is unreal. Not only do I have to do my _entire_ Physics coursework by Friday instead of Monday (Everyone else's deadline...) I also have a TWENTY PAGE PLAN to write for Chemistry. I may actually scream if I hear the word "enthalpy" one more time.

My advice from this? **Don't do three sciences for A2.** I am slowly dying.

But you get an update anyway, and one for Promenade, because I'm masochistic like that and actually enjoy giving myself more work Oo

Hopefully the next update will be on time, but I have an interview at Oxford which requires me to stay over for a few days *nervous jitters*

**Disclaimer:** Do not own, do not earn. Wish I did though.

And a big, big, big thankyou to all my reviewers. I do love to know what you honestly think... I'm always looking to improve, and all I ever get from my friends is "good". Not that my friend has even read this story...

Freakyanimegal... I have a confession. I couldn't find the part you mentioned Uh, but it's... Necessary. Yes... Necessary *shifty look*

Anyhow, enjoy!

* * *

Chapter nine: Animal Instinct

The next day, the only time Forcystus actually saw Lloyd, he put something strange on his arm that made his Key Crest disappear and walked away instantly, leaving Lloyd staring at his hand in absolute confusion. His Exsphere looked exactly like those the rest of the prisoners wore… And the bangle that Forcystus had put on his wrist clacked against his Key Crest and reassured him that it was still there. He had no idea how any of it worked, nor any idea why Forcystus was doing this, but he knew he had little choice but to go along with it. The Cardinal seemed unwilling to speak to Lloyd after the discussion they had had, but he didn't dare ask any of the other Desians why. They thought it was bad enough that he was taken care of as it was.

That night, Lloyd sat in his cell, examining his hand. If he felt all the way up his arm, eventually he could feel the slight lump that was whatever Forcystus had stuck on him – it wasn't a chip, and that was all he knew, all the Forcystus had said. He didn't know what the bangle was supposed to be for, but it did belong to Forcystus, so Lloyd didn't dare take it off. If he lost it, the Cardinal may well get angry with him, and that was the last thing he wanted.

"What's happening?" He wondered aloud. So much had happened the past few days, with the visit by Yggdrasill being the thing that stuck in Lloyd's mind and scared him the most. That half-elf was… Strange. _Feathers… _Lloyd thought. _I know I saw them. So Yggdrasill must be… An angel. He must have a Cruxis Crystal like Colette…_ Lloyd sighed and pushed the bangle up his arm like he had often seen Forcystus do. It didn't react at all, just brushed against his clothes, so he let it fall, listening to it clink against his Key Crest. He recognised what it was made of – Inhibitor Ore. He hadn't recognised it at first because it was worked in a strange way, and the only time he'd ever really seen it before was raw or as a Key Crest, never in any other sort of state. But, after examining it closely, Lloyd had decided that that was all it could really be. There were strange letters carved into it, in a language that Lloyd couldn't read, and he now knew that Forcystus was hiding a lot more than he had first though. And perhaps probing wouldn't be the best idea.

He had decided to leave bugging Forcystus for a chip until the current panic about Kvar was over. Not that Forcystus showed fear – he never did – but Lloyd knew it scared him. His hands had been shaking when he put the weird device on Lloyd.

On a whim, he got the Magic Lens out and held it up. Forcystus was sat in the control room working, looking slightly stressed. He had his cannon off and was typing with two hands, frowning at the screen. Lloyd noticed with slight worry that he was altering the security systems, although it was probably just for Kvar's visit…

Forcystus stopped typing with a string of curse words to look at his hands, which were shaking violently.

"…Lloyd…" He muttered under his breath, hitting the nearest available unbreakable thing – the join between two computers. "This had better be worth it…" He started to try and type again, but eventually had to break off and hold one hand in the other, trying to stop the inexplicable shaking. "…Tch… Damn…" He swore fluently and leant over, his knuckles white with his efforts.

…_What's happening to him? _Lloyd wondered. Forcystus made a noise of pain, but it wasn't particularly loud.

"Sir?" Lloyd heard Roy's voice.

"Gah! No, go away, I'm fine," Forcystus muttered through gritted teeth. "It'll pass. They always do." There was a pause, Lloyd presumed for Roy to give him a look, before the sound of footsteps was heard again. Forcystus' breathing was starting to become laboured. "…Kvar… You had better come quick… I need that… Bracelet back…" Forcystus murmured, going back to his computer, typing much slower due to the shaking. "…If Lord Yggdrasill comes now… I'm doomed…" He murmured, glancing up at the screen and frowning. Lloyd lowered the Lens.

_What's wrong with him? _He wondered. _What's put him in pain? What does… This do?_ He held up his arm, looking at the bangle. _And why did he give it to me…?_

Forcystus woke Lloyd the next morning by rattling the bars of his cell. Lloyd put his hands over his ears when Forcystus ran his cannon along the bars.

"Argh… Stop it…" He protested.

"Up!" Forcystus ordered. Lloyd sleepily sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Forcystus, rubbing his eyes. "L025! Stand!" He snapped. Lloyd looked worried at that. Had he did something wrong? Forcystus never called him by number! "We have a visitor in the Ranch, and I expect you to behave accordingly!" The Desian continued.

_Kvar!_ Lloyd realised, nodding quickly. "Yes, Lord Forcystus!" He promised. _I can't screw this up. I screw this up, and I die. I WILL do this right!_ Forcystus nodded, regarding the monitor for a second.

"…I'm afraid I've only one explanation for why you're not doing Ranch work," he whispered. "I've had to tell Kvar… Well… That you're a pet." Lloyd had to work viciously to stop himself protesting.

"…Yes, Lord Forcystus," he murmured through gritted teeth.

"I can't put you to work; else the Exsphere's signal will be obvious to Kvar. Please, L025, play your part." He paused, tapping in a code on the lock. "If Kvar learns your name, he'll know whose son you are. I need you, just today, please, not to disobey, or make _any _mistakes."

"Yes, Lord Forcystus," Lloyd replied obediently. Forcystus nodded as the door slid open.

"Good. L025, come," he ordered, his voice once more at normal volume. Lloyd nodded, following as he'd said. He knew that Forcystus was taking a lot of risks for him, so the least he could do was try in return. He couldn't help but think that taking him near Kvar wasn't the best idea, though.

He just wished he had a weapon, so he could cause the Cardinal some _pain_ for killing his mother.

"Ah, Forcystus," Kvar murmured as they approached him. "This is your little human, is it?"

"Lord Kvar," Lloyd greeted, bowing down to one knee to show respect. Over and over in his head, he was repeating _kill him kill him kill him…_

"This is L025," Forcystus murmured. "You can stand," he added to Lloyd, who did so. Kvar smiled in a very worrying way.

"How delightful," he remarked sarcastically. "I never thought you were the type to keep a human like that, Forcystus. Especially after…"

"Just get on with what you came here to do," Forcystus snapped before Kvar could say any more, which simply made the other Desian laugh.

"So impatient…" He remarked, glancing at the bangle on Lloyd's wrist. "I thought that was yours, Forcystus?" Forcystus said nothing, which simply made Kvar laugh harder. "Human trinkets. I will never understand why you ever wore it in the first place. Now, where do you keep your inferior beings?"

"…I will show you," Forcystus murmured, walking forwards. Lloyd followed, making sure to stay behind him. As he'd said before, walking level would make Lloyd his equal… Which he was not. Lloyd could see Forcystus' hands shaking, despite the fact that his fists were clenched. However, this time Lloyd had no way of knowing if it was anger, fear… Or whatever he had been afflicted with the night before.

Forcystus lead Kvar out into the courtyard, where most of the prisoners were working. Lloyd held back any sound of protest when he saw a young boy – the same one Forcystus had nearly killed, in fact – doing the same hard labour as the adults. Today was _not_ the day to complain. Perhaps when Kvar was gone and Forcystus in a better mood.

"They work well," Kvar remarked, sounding slightly surprised. Forcystus made an irritated noise.

"They have been scared into it. They made the mistake of a show of defiance a week ago," he replied. "They won't stir up trouble for a while." Lloyd didn't get any glances this time, perhaps because they were too scared to look up at the two Grand Cardinals. Kvar laughed harshly. The way he clacked his staff on the floor as he walked was starting to severely irritated Lloyd, and he had actually clenched one fist, but he was being careful. He knew that the bangle clacked on his Key Crest, and it would be quite hard to explain if it actually happened in front of Kvar.

"So your humans actually rioted?" Kvar murmured. Forcystus made an irritated noise.

"It was not a _riot_, it was simply a disturbance. They were incited, anyway. H045, whom _you_ refused to have back, if I remember correctly." Kvar just laughed.

"A problem case. I thought you were the ideal Cardinal for dealing with problem cases? Because you were one yourself, you know…"

"Kvar," Forcystus growled, and the other Desian chuckled again. Lloyd bowed his head, trying not to appear as interested as he was. He was also trying to fight the 'kill' urges rising in him. It was getting harder with each passing second.

Forcystus led them into the Processing Plant. Lloyd could feel Kvar giving him looks. And it was making him go red with embarrassment. Why wouldn't the Desian leave him alone? He hated the scrutiny. Forcystus never did anything of the sort, even if a few of the other Desians did. Kvar went up to Forcystus and whispered something in the other Cardinal's ear with a low chuckle, and Forcystus glared at him and hissed "Not a chance, Kvar," back. It didn't take much for Lloyd to work out that he had been the subject of the conversation. He dreaded to think what Kvar wanted with him.

_What if he recognises me? _Lloyd thought, horrified at the thought. _What if he wants to take me back to his Ranch and extract my Exsphere and… K-kill me?_ Forcystus put one hand on his shoulder, as if sensing his unease, and Lloyd could feel him shaking slightly. He looked up at him, confused, but Forcystus shook his head.

"How very _sweet_," Kvar murmured sarcastically, making Forcystus turn and spit something insulting at him in a low voice. Lloyd winced and bowed his head, hating to be the cause of trouble. Oh, how he wanted to stab Kvar just then…

They were walking down some corridor Lloyd didn't recognise, with Forcystus talking to Kvar in a low voice, full of thinly veiled hatred, about productivity of the Ranch, when things started to go wrong. Lloyd could feel the bangle on his wrist burn suddenly, even through the cloth, and he made a small noise of shock. Forcystus, however, cried out in pain suddenly and fell back against the wall, despite nothing seeming to have happened.

"…My," Kvar remarked, glancing at Lloyd, who was rubbing his burnt wrist and looking at Forcystus in confusion.

"Lord Forcystus?" He asked. "Is something wrong, my lord?" Forcystus shook his head, getting back to his feet.

"…Nothing," he murmured. "…Forgiveness, Kvar. My Exsphere does that sometimes…" Kvar laughed.

"Oh, yes. Your _Exsphere_," he replied, his tone full of contempt. "The concern your little pet shows for you is truly admirable, Forcystus. Where did you manage to catch such a find?"

"Iselia," Forcystus replied, rubbing the back of his hand over his forehead to try and quell whatever pain was there. "They violated the treaty, some half-elf kid talking with an inmate. So I went to 'talk it over' with them. Got L025 as payment." Kvar laughed.

"…Wonderful…" He murmured, giving Lloyd another look which made him have to avert his eyes.

_I am going to stab him so many times he is never going to have felt so much pain in his life…_ Lloyd reassured himself by thinking. Once he got his hands on a sword and was free of the Ranch, Kvar was walking dead. That made him feel better.

"Eyes off him. He's not yours," Forcystus spat at Kvar.

"…Such a spoilsport…" Kvar murmured. "Alright, I'll have your records and go. Clearly there was a… Mistake in the readings."

"I told you it was a malfunction. All machines make mistakes sometimes," Forcystus muttered, walking down the corridor at a faster speed. Lloyd had to hurry to keep up, and he pushed the bangle up his arm automatically, like Forcystus had often done.

Forcystus frowned when they came up to a security light.

"…Clearly my equipment malfunctions, too," he murmured, not looking happy. "They are meant to all be off. My apologies, Kvar. I'll go get the records; you can wait in the nearest room…" Lloyd looked at Forcystus frantically, not wanting to be left in the same room as Kvar for more than three seconds without a weapon.

"Certainly," Kvar murmured. "I do so hope you are… Quick." Forcystus opened the nearest room with a quick code – Lloyd made a mental note of the numbers – And Kvar walked in, grabbing Lloyd as he did so.

"Kvar!" Forcystus reprimanded. Kvar laughed.

"I thought your little pet didn't have a chip…?" He murmured. Forcystus cursed softly under his breath.

"…I won't be long," he replied.

"L-lord Forcystus!" Lloyd called as the Cardinal left, now quite worried. Kvar laughed.

"My, you are _very_ attached to him, aren't you?" He murmured, pulling Lloyd into the room properly. Lloyd made a worried noise. This was not a situation he'd envisioned, and he was certain Forcystus hadn't planned for it either. "Forcystus is certainly quite anxious to keep hold of you, too. So selfish," Kvar continued, glancing at Lloyd's Exsphere. "He'll have to give you up in the end, of course…" Lloyd shivered at Kvar's tone of voice, wishing the Cardinal would leave him alone.

…_I have never wanted a sharp object more in my whole life…_ Lloyd thought, thinking sadly of his swords. Even made of wood, they would still do plenty of damage if he channelled a Demon Fang through them, or a Beast. That was one technique Forcystus had taught him that he really did like, since Forcystus had let Lloyd knock him down to demonstrate its power. That had been fun.

"I never thought Forcystus would keep a _pet_," Kvar continued, pulling Lloyd a little closer. Lloyd could see his eyes, black with red irises. They scared him, and he made another uncomfortable noise. "He has far too many morals for that. I suppose being in charge of the Ranch for long enough has finally made him shake them off. Still, a non-aggression treaty! With inferiors like _you_. How foolish."

"…As you say, Lord Kvar…" Lloyd mumbled, deciding that agreeing would be the best option. _I am going to kill him so painfully, I am going to break that annoying staff of his, I am going to make him suffer like he made my mom…_

"Oh, you are so _delightfully_ obedient," Kvar murmured, moving to grab Lloyd, but he moved away on instinct. Kvar tutted. "Surely Forcystus has taught you better than that?" He mused. "What's your number, inferior?"

"…L025," Lloyd replied. It felt unusual, giving a number instead of a name. It was like he was nothing. Just a designation.

"L025. And what name would go with that, hmm?" Lloyd hesitated. Forcystus had said that he wasn't to let Kvar know his name; else he'd work out who he really was… "Well, inferior? I asked you a question. Answer!"

"I…" Lloyd started uncertainly.

"Kvar! I said he wasn't yours," Forcystus growled, entering. Kvar laughed and moved away, much to Lloyd's relief.

"Of course, Forcystus, of course," Kvar replied amiably. "I was simply asking him a few questions."

"I bet," Forcystus muttered, handing Kvar a disc. "There. I apologise for the inconvenience."

"Oh, I quite enjoyed it, actually," Kvar replied, making Lloyd shiver. Forcystus narrowed his eyes.

"Tch. L025, here," he ordered. Gratefully, Lloyd stood up and started to walk over to Forcystus, but Kvar grabbed his wrist. Lloyd tensed; glad it wasn't the hand with his Exsphere on it. "Kvar!" Forcystus spat.

"It's only an inferior being, Forcystus. Surely you're not _that_ attached to it?" Kvar enquired. Forcystus moved forwards angrily, and Kvar let go of Lloyd and grabbed Forcystus instead.

"Kvar!" Forcystus protested.

"L-lord Forcystus?" Lloyd murmured, confused, moving forwards, but Forcystus gestured him away. He fell silent, but didn't move.

"I will be looking at these records carefully, Forcystus. Very carefully," Kvar growled. "My suspicion would have been removed had you not mentioned Lord Yggdrasill's little visit. I think you're lying."

"Well you're wrong," Forcystus hissed, and Kvar hit him. Lloyd cried out.

"Lord Forcystus!" He exclaimed. No-one hit Forcystus! That just… Didn't happen! Forcystus locked his gaze with Kvar's, and Lloyd saw a light on the floor. Intrigued, he picked it up quickly, before either Cardinal could notice, and stuck it in his pocket without looking at it.

"You have crossed a line, Kvar," Forcystus hissed, breaking free of the other Cardinal's grip. "Out of my Ranch. _Now._"

"Oh, so threatening," Kvar mocked, tapping his staff on the ground once more. "I _want_ that little pet of yours, Forcystus. And I will get it."

"Over my dead body you will," Forcystus growled. Kvar grabbed Lloyd in a chokehold, making him cry out in shock. He didn't struggle.

_Best behaviour, best behaviour! _Lloyd told himself, trying to resist the urge to hit the Desian or try and break free of his grip.

"Let. Him. Go," Forcystus hissed. Kvar laughed.

"Far too attached," he repeated. "You should know, playing with inferior beings isn't going to get you anywhere good, Forcystus." Forcystus spat angrily, and Kvar let Lloyd go. "I may well be back, Forcystus. For that little inferior being of yours."

"L025 is at my Ranch and there is no reason to move him," Forcystus replied. "Get out. Before I throw you out!" Kvar simply chuckled.

"I'll see myself out," he responded, walking out of the room. Forcystus glared after him.

"…Scum," he spat. "He'd better leave. L025, with me. We're going to make sure Kvar leaves." Lloyd nodded, walking over. Forcystus stalked out angrily, going down to the control room, and Lloyd followed without question, hoping that the Desian would explain things to him once Kvar had gone.

Once they got to the control room, Forcystus did nothing but watch the CCTV until Kvar had gone.

"What was that thing he was riding on, Lord Forcystus?" Lloyd asked. The flying thing had been sleek, almost like a mechanical bird, and Lloyd had been fascinated with it.

"A Rheaird," Forcystus replied. "It uses mana energy to fly. Very useful, actually, I have a few of my own." Lloyd noted that down for future reference. Maybe, instead of going out the main gate, he could steal a Rheaird.

Finally, Forcystus sat down. "Lloyd, come here," he requested, and Lloyd was pleased to note that his name was being used again. He walked up, and Forcystus ran his fingers up Lloyd's arm until he found the device he'd put on the day before and pulled it out. Lloyd had to try very hard to resist the urge to back away at the contact, after Kvar. "There," Forcystus murmured. "Keep this, in case we get another surprise visit. You have to put it on the skin, mind." He put the strange device in Lloyd's hand, and Lloyd examined it. It was _like_ a chip, but a bit different.

"…Kvar hit you," Lloyd murmured.

"_Lord_ Kvar," Forcystus reprimanded shortly. "And yes, he shouldn't have. Arrogant little… Tch." He cut himself off. "He just wanted to see if I'd slip up. Can I have the bangle back?" Lloyd nodded quickly, pulling off his arm and passing it to Forcystus, who slid back over his Exsphere. "…Thank you. Apart from that one little… Mishap… That went better than I thought it would." Lloyd didn't think it had gone well at all, but didn't mention that. Forcystus was still stressed out, he could see that. "Kvar will be ever the irritance," he murmured. "I didn't expect him to take such a… Liking to you, however."

"He said you were attached to me," Lloyd murmured. "He… He was creepy." Forcystus laughed.

"Creepy? Perhaps. He's been messing with things that aren't to be messed with, with those little projects of his. Don't worry, Lloyd. You won't be going to his Ranch any time soon if I have anything to say about it. And I _will_ have a lot of things to say about it." Lloyd smiled slightly, and Forcystus gave him a strange look.

"…You know something? That's the first time you've actually smiled since I brought you here," he remarked. Lloyd frowned, smile disappearing instantly. "I expect today has been quite stressful for you…"

"…Thank you… Lord Forcystus…" He mumbled, although he felt kind of bad about saying it. _Why am I thanking a Desian? Gah… None of this makes any sense… I can hardly tell right from wrong any more… Or was I just wrong about it in the first place…?_ Forcystus looked at him, confused.

"For keeping you safe from Kvar? I have to, Lloyd. It's more than my life's worth to let you get hurt, and besides, the last thing I want is to give you to scum like Kvar." Lloyd smiled slightly. He _did_ care, in his own way.

"As you say… Lord Forcystus," he murmured. Forcystus sighed, running one hand through his hair irritably, the bangle clacking against his Exsphere. It was strange for Lloyd to see it back on Forcystus again, not to feel the weight of it. He didn't even know what it did; apart from Forcystus had suffered in some way without it.

"Come on, back to your cell. I think you've had more than enough excitement for one day," he murmured. Lloyd frowned. He hated being treated like a child, even if he technically was still one.

_I don't need you to tell me how much 'excitement' I've had,_ he thought bitterly. _Like you can talk, anyway._ Despite that, he still followed Forcystus back to his cell in silence. At least he was being called by name again. He didn't know why, but being called L025 really _got_ to him. It touched a nerve.

"In, go on," Forcystus told him, ushering him into the cell and locking it. "And don't even think about bugging me for the next few days. I know what Kvar's like. Be careful." Lloyd nodded slowly, watching him go. He lay down on the rough bed, and felt the object he'd picked up move in his pocket. Intrigued – he had almost forgotten it – he felt around in his pocket until his fingers closed around it. It felt strange, downy, almost like…

He took it out. A feather. A little crushed from having been stuffed into his pocket, but still a feather, pure white and giving off a strange, unearthly glow.

_What… What the hell? _Lloyd wondered. _Where did that come from? Why did Forcystus…?_ He took out the Lens, holding it up, watching the Desian, but he was simply working as normal. No sign of wings. No sign of feathers anywhere. _From Yggdrasill, perhaps? No… His feathers were purple, weren't they? This doesn't make any sense…_ Lloyd put the Lens and the feather back in his pocket, before he confused himself too much. _I just have to focus on what I have now… On what I can use. If I play my cards right it won't matter in the end. I'll be out of here before Forcystus can blink._ He sighed, resting his head on his hands. _But… Forcystus has done a lot. And Dwarven Vow #18… It is better to be deceived than to deceive. No! No, I can't think like that! I'm a prisoner! He's done me wrong. Just because I'm hiding the truth, my intent, doesn't make it lying as such… I'm not lying to him. I'm not using him…_ Dwarven Vow #57 came to mind forcefully: To use someone is the same as hurting someone. And he didn't want to be the cause of hurt… Despite all the hurt Forcystus had caused. _I've got to stop this. All that matters is that I escape… Nothing else._

_Nothing else._

He knew, in his heart, that Forcystus was more than just an enemy to him, now, and that was going to cause… Problems.

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**A/N:** And now the _real_ intrigue begins... R&R por favor ^^


	10. Chapter ten: Dwarven Vow 2

Yo people. It's nearly Christmas/Hannukah/whatever you celebrate! So in... Celebration... I am going to write a ToS oneshot! Review with your ideas and the one with the most mentions/the one I like best if there are no repeats will be oneshotted, hopefully in time for Christmas!

I love competitions :D

So I wrote this chapter during my brief stay at Oxford Uni for interviews... I SHOULD HAVE BEEN REVISING. So if I fail spectacularly at getting into Oxford, blame ToS XD.

I should know in a week... *Nervous jitters*

SoS - Um, actually A2's are the second half of an A-level. In England. I'm doing Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Maths. Plus a Further Maths AS... *shoots self in head*  
Freaky - Ahahaha, yes, I DO promise winged Lloyd soonish. I also have that fetish :D  
Nightfoot - mind in the gutter? My mind was totally not in the gutter when I wrote that, how can you read that into it... *shifty look**runs* Heh...

**Disclaimer - **even after ten chapters, I have still sadly failed to acquire ToS... *sigh*

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Chapter ten: Dwarven Vow #2

Lloyd didn't get a chance to question Forcystus for another three days. The Cardinal left him alone – being careful, perhaps, because of Kvar – and he was looked after by disdainful Desians who brought him his food and occasionally made snide remarks. It was beginning to frustrate Lloyd. If it wasn't for the fact that there were a lot of security fields and Desian guards between him and the most likely places for the Cardinal to be, he would have gone and demanded some answers himself.

Just as Lloyd's patience was starting to reach a limit, Forcystus came to see him again.

"Lloyd," he greeted. The teen looked up from where he had been resting on the bed – the cell offered very few opportunities for things to do – and instantly sat up.

"Lord Forcystus!" He exclaimed. "Wh-what are you here for?" He was hoping it would be something that took a long time. That way, he'd have an opportunity to question him about the mysterious feather.

"Oh, have you missed me?" He asked with a slight chuckle, turning away from Lloyd to type in the passcode. Lloyd glared.

"D-don't patronise me… L-lord Forcystus!" He demanded. Forcystus laughed.

"Very well. Come, Lloyd, I am sure you have been sorely deprived of exercise."

_Training! _Lloyd realised. _That's perfect!_ He nodded and jumped off the bed, going up to Forcystus as the cell door opened. Forcystus smiled slightly.

"Hopefully the… Disturbances have ceased now," he remarked. Up close, Lloyd was surprised to see that he was paler than usual, as if he was worried, or had been ill.

_Perhaps it's whatever caused him to collapse in front of Kvar?_ Lloyd wondered. "I-I hope so, Lord Forcystus," he replied aloud. "Kv-… _Lord _Kvar will not be visiting again, will he?" Forcystus seemed to find the contempt in Lloyd's voice for Kvar amusing.

"No, not in the near future," he replied. "He crossed a line. He is not coming back without a highly valid reason." Lloyd could see the anger on Forcystus' face. Clearly he had not appreciated being hit. "He is of equal rank, he had no right…" He murmured under his breath as he walked off, Lloyd following hurriedly. "Although he is still attempting to acquire you. I am quite concerned, actually. I was very careful, there's no way he could know who you are… You are not _that_ similar to your mother that it would be openly apparent…"

"Did he know my father?" Lloyd asked. Strangely, Forcystus laughed.

"Oh, yes. You have his eyes. I met him once," he replied. "Events lead where they will. I don't think he would recognise you without actually having some reason to think you are who you are. But I will look into it. He has little reason to want a human so badly, especially since you're not exactly wonderful for use in one of his Kharlan-forsaken experiments!"

"Kharlan…" Lloyd murmured, thinking about what Forcystus had said about Derris-Kharlan. _Not a place for humans._ Forcystus gave him a look.

"What do you expect me to say? Martel?" He laughed softly. "I think not… Ah." They had come across a security field. Lloyd knew the drill, he took off a glove so Forcystus could touch his skin and make the chip work for both of them, but he rubbed his hand on his trousers before he put the glove back on. Kvar's comments still stuck in his mind, about 'attachment', and the pet comments were still sore. Forcystus made no comment about it, positive or negative, which did reassure Lloyd slightly.

"Why don't you believe in Martel, Lord Forcystus?" Lloyd asked once they were well past the security field.

"Because I make a point of not believing in lies, Lloyd, that's why," Forcystus replied. "I won't deny that she existed, exists, even, in a… Special way, but she is no goddess. You are free to believe what you wish, however." Lloyd frowned.

"The hero Mithos ended the Ancient war with the Desians by forming a pact with the Goddess Martel, and sacrificed his life to bring peace," he murmured, reciting the small amount of Genis' notes that he'd actually managed to learn. He heard Forcystus chuckling under his breath, which irritated him, so he frowned and tried to remember the rest. "And the Goddess left the angels with the edict… Um…"

"You must wake me, for if I should sleep, the world will be destroyed," Forcystus replied. "And so the angels bore the Chosen One, who headed towards the Tower that reached up unto the heavens. And that marked the beginning of the Regeneration of the World." Lloyd just stared at him. "And you missed a bit out. Once upon a time, there existed a giant tree that was the source of all mana."

"That's… The tree you sometimes swear by…" Lloyd realised. "Why do you know the legend if you don't believe?" Forcystus laughed bitterly.

"Everyone knows the legend, Lloyd. But we Desians started no war. In fact, the Desian organisation hadn't even been formed prior to the Kharlan war; it was formed afterwards by our leader, Lord Yggdrasill."

"So who was the war between?" Lloyd asked, completely forgetting what he had been intending to ask in light of this new source of information.

"Sylvarant and Tethe'alla," Forcystus replied, coming to a halt outside the room they often used for training and keying in the code. "They were split in two to stop such a devastating war ever happening again."

"What sort of creature has the power to… To split worlds?" Lloyd wondered softly. Forcystus sighed.

"That, Lloyd, I am not allowed to tell you. Stop thinking about legends and focus on what you're here to do."

"Still learning," he mumbled, a bit put out. One of the few things he actually took an interest in, and Forcystus wouldn't tell him? That was so unfair!

He noted that Forcystus locked the door before he did anything – he still didn't trust Lloyd completely. Well, that was only fair, since Lloyd _did_ plan to escape as soon as possible. It just irritated him the Forcystus seemed to know it.

"Grab your swords," Forcystus told him as he took his cannon off. Lloyd did just that, keeping a careful eye on Forcystus as he did so. Last time, he hadn't, and had been Wind Bladed for his trouble. That hadn't been nice at all. "Guarding techniques," Forcystus murmured. "I figured – since you seem to have some aversion to dodging magic – that you need to learn to guard against it. After all, simply holding up your swords is going to do very little. Lloyd nodded, still keeping an eye on him. He knew full well what he was like for surprising him.

It took Lloyd a while to learn Guardian. Forcystus was as patient with him as always, teaching him all the small things to do with it, how and when to use it, how it was used, why he shouldn't overuse it. Apparently, Guardian was a projection of the body's mana, like a shield, and overusing it was never going to be a good thing. Eventually, Lloyd got the hang of it, managing to guard against a Wind Blade without even feeling the spell. He was extremely pleased with himself, and even Forcystus smiled at him. "Bear in mind, Lloyd, that if a spell is long, you will not be able to keep your shield up for all of it unless you time it well. I don't want to expose you to a Cyclone when you've only just learned, but maybe in the future." Lloyd nodded, grinning, pleased with his success. Woe betide any Desians who got in his way when he had his swords with him! "Alright, then," Forcystus murmured, pointing his sword at Lloyd. "Show me what you've learned." Lloyd nodded, getting into a ready position. He was _not_ going to let the Desian floor him so easily this time!

Forcystus seemed to not be fighting as effectively that day, and Lloyd took full advantage of it. He remembered what Forcystus had said about not overusing the special techniques, about the best time to block, about how to evade and block cast magic – not that Forcystus ever used anything that would really harm him.

Lloyd was actually surprised when he started to get the upper hand. He was even more surprised when he managed to floor the Cardinal.

"Ha!" He declared, pointing his sword at the downed Forcystus.

"…Alright, alright, I give," he panted, and Lloyd frowned, noting how pale he was. "…But don't get overconfident. I'm not at my best today." Pushing Lloyd's sword to one side, he got to his feet.

"…Are you alright, Lord Forcystus?" He asked, honestly concerned. If something happened to Forcystus he'd be left at the mercy of the rest of the Desians, and that would not be mercy of any kind.

"…Fine. I'm fine," he replied, leaning his sword against the wall. He clearly wasn't.

"Is it because of Kvar… Lord Kvar's visit?" Lloyd asked. _Please don't collapse. I don't want to go back to being the human Desians play with. Please…_

"Kvar? …Possibly," he murmured, pushing the bangle up his arm. It was giving off a soft glow.

"…Doesn't that hurt?" Lloyd asked, indicating the bangle. It had hurt him when it glowed. Forcystus frowned, shaking his head slowly. He was starting to look very out of it, and Lloyd walked towards him, confused.

"I'm fine…" Forcystus murmured. Lloyd shook his head.

"Dwarven Vow #2: Never abandon someone in need," he told him firmly. "Is it related to this?" He took the feather out of his pocket and held it up. Pure fear flashed in Forcystus' eyes, even if it was for only a second, and that was all the answer Lloyd needed.

"Where did you get that?" He demanded. "You haven't been sneaking around again, have you?" Lloyd shook his head, affronted. He'd been good, mostly because he'd been worried about Kvar's visit.

"I found it on the floor after Kva… Lord Kvar hit you," he replied. Forcystus snatched it off him, and he protested slightly until Forcystus glared at him.

"Lying little…" He muttered. Lloyd made a noise of dismay as the feather proceeded to dissolve in Forcystus' hands. How did he do _that_?

"I did! It fell to the floor, I thought maybe it was Yggdr-"

"_Lord Yggdrasill_. How many times?" Forcystus snapped. "What gives you reason to presume things about Lord Yggdrasill?"

"He's an angel, though, isn't he?" Lloyd asked. "I know he is, I saw feathers. A Cruxis angel!" Forcystus sighed.

"…Put your swords away, we're done here," he replied eventually.

"Answer me!" Lloyd demanded. The look in Forcystus' eyes told him that he would have been hit, had the Cardinal the strength.

"Put your swords away," Forcystus repeated. Lloyd considered disobeying, but eventually went and put his swords back. "You shouldn't stick your nose in where it doesn't belong. I've obviously told you too much," Forcystus murmured.

"Why can't I know?" Lloyd demanded. Forcystus sighed.

"…It's not for humans to know. That is Lord Yggdra- Ah!" He fell to the floor, one hand on his arm over the bangle, and Lloyd rushed over to him, not that he could do much. "…Lord Yggdrasill's wish," Forcystus finished, looking up at Lloyd.

"Why do you follow a cruel Lord?" He asked. Forcystus laughed, standing up, apparently unaffected.

"Why? Why do you think?" He replied. "You, spying little nuisance that you are, have seen how my Lord is. Does it look to you as though I have the option to leave?" Lloyd bit his lip. He seemed to have brought up a sensitive topic. "…Dwarven vows…" Forcystus murmured with a laugh. "Raised by a dwarf…"

"Don't you dare insult my dad!" Lloyd growled, taking a step back, intending to go for his sword.

"I meant no offense," Forcystus replied, walking over to the opposite side of the room. "How old were you when you were found? Three?" Lloyd nodded uncertainly. "It must have been… Hard, to grow up without parents." Lloyd shrugged.

"I miss them, especially my mom, but I've always had my dad… Dirk. It's not like I've been lonely. I've had Noishe with me, too." Forcystus sighed, sitting by the wall and closing his eye. Lloyd noted what looked like it could be another feather on the floor and went for it then, picking it up. It _was_. Either Forcystus had been playing tricks on him before, or… It had come from Forcystus…

"You're luckier than you know," Forcystus murmured. Lloyd looked from the feather to him. What was he hiding? "At least you had a father, even if he isn't related by blood…" He stood up, and Lloyd frowned, confused, until something Yggdrasill had said came back to him

"_Slave, orphan, what next?"_ Forcystus… Had lost his parents. He'd been lonely. How long had he been held in Sybak? Lloyd frowned. Since he was seven, he'd said… So his parents must have died around that time. Lloyd looked over at him again.

_He must be so lonely,_ he realised with a jolt. _He's never even been loved… At least dad takes care of me, and to me, he's my dad, despite the fact that he's a dwarf… Why should that even matter, anyway? But all Forcystus has had is… Prejudice… _

"Give me the feather, Lloyd," Forcystus murmured suddenly. Lloyd was stunned. How…? "It's the eyepatch, it's magitechnology. Give it to me."

"Not unless you tell me where it's from," Lloyd replied stubbornly. "I'm sick of the secrets. I'm sick of not knowing! I want some answers! Don't evade my questions!" Forcystus stood up.

"Answers, Lloyd? You want _answers_?" He replied. "You don't want answers. Some things are better off left unknown."

"No! They aren't!" Lloyd replied. "If you're going to hold me here I have the right to know why, at least! _What does Cruxis want with me?_" Forcystus started to laugh. It was hollow, bitter.

"Cruxis? Cruxis doesn't want _you_, Lloyd. If anyone, it's me they want. I was asked to keep you safe for reasons that are more than my life's worth to reveal. And I've done it, haven't I? Haven't I suffered enough to keep you away from Kvar? Haven't I tried to make sure you at least learn something? Why do you demand so much from me, Lloyd? I'm a Desian, I'm a Grand Cardinal, I am _your enemy_." Lloyd sighed, letting the feather fall from his fingers to hit the floor. It made no sound.

"…You're not," he mumbled. "Because of what you've done. Even if it's out of duty… You've still kept me safe. You've made time for me. You've treated me… Like I'm human. Which is… More than any other Desian would have done." Forcystus shook his head, walking over to Lloyd and picking up the feather. He pressed it back into Lloyd's hands.

"Keep it. It may come in useful to you," he murmured. "But for Kharlan's sake don't show it to anyone else. I'll take you back to your cell."

"Am I going to be abandoned for three days again?" He asked. Forcystus shook his head.

"That was due to unusual circumstances," he replied.

_He was having attacks like the one he just had, then,_ Lloyd surmised, watching Forcystus carefully.

"Although I don't know what I can do, now. You can't learn magic. Perhaps I could teach you how to operate a computer, although Kharlan knows what you'll get up to if I do." Lloyd looked hopeful.

"Really?" He asked. Forcystus smiled at him.

"Sure. If it doesn't bore you." He laughed softly, not bitterly this time. Lloyd smiled at him.

"I-it won't, Lord Forcystus!" He promised. Now he was definitely one step closer to being able to steal a Rheaird!

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**A/N - **In the next chapter, we have a (brief) appearence from Yuan! Believe it or not, he's actually my fave charrie from ToS...

I have also recently discovered the absolute awesomeness that is Muse recently. Expect some Muse-inspired oneshots in the future XD


	11. Chapter eleven: Progress and Hindrance

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!**

So I've just got into Fullmetal Alchemist... And that has a Roy, too ^^ Although drastically different from mine, thankfully. Does anyone else think that Ed needs a hug? *huggles Ed*

General notice - Forcystus does _not _have a Cruxis Crystal, I am well aware of how wrong that would be *chuckles* But you'll all just have to wait a while for the explanations ^^ *cackles evilly like a witch when you look away*

Yes, yes I do mean Muse the band. They are, in fact, immense. Expect oneshots that I will write when I'm supposed to be revising *hides*

PP18 - I applied for Biochemistry, but they rejected me *sulks* but then again, the other candidates all went to schools where you have to pay and had been taught loads more than me, so what can you do? I want to go to Sheffield anyway ^^

Hee, Kratty won't be coming to get him. And it's more than Forcy's life's worth to even give Lloyd a clue ^^

Sorry if Yuan's appearence isn't substantial enough for you people. Perhaps, if I have time and can distract myself from Bleach and FMA, I'll write a oneshot about him

**Disclaimer**: Still don't own.

Oh, and freaky, I fixed the plothole ^^ Enjoy.

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Chapter eleven: Progress and hindrance

If Roy was surprised when Forcystus brought an enthusiastic-looking Lloyd into the control room, he didn't show it. He did, however, protest when Forcystus told him to teach Lloyd about how the machines work.

"Sir, are you sure that's wise? He'll be out of here like a shot if he can work these!" He protested. Forcystus shook his head.

"Only I know the passcode for the security fields, and besides, it's got a bionic coding in there. He won't be able to disable them and he can't get through them without a chip. Just teach him, give the poor kid something to do." Lloyd looked at him pleadingly. He would have rather had Forcystus teach him, because the Cardinal had a way of making things interesting for him, but something was better than nothing. He had to learn enough to allow him to steal a Rheaird. He had to get free!

"…If you insist, Sir," Roy replied reluctantly. Lloyd sat on the closest chair as the Desian started to teach him about computers. Lloyd noted that he missed out how they actually worked inside and just told him how to operate them. Lloyd was quite pleased to know that the "go" button was actually a go button, just with a more technical name, and he got the basics quite quickly. He had to be nudged a few times by Roy when the monotony of learning started to get to him, but he paid close enough attention to get a grasp of it. Really, though, it got boring _fast_. He noticed Forcystus look over and shake his head with a slight smile every time Roy poked him and told him to listen, and that was quite embarrassing, and that motivated Lloyd to learn more than even the need to escape. He _would_ wipe that smirk off the Cardinal's face, and he _would_ get out.

"Lloyd…" Forcystus' voice shook his out of a half-slumber.

"Whn?" He murmured, and Forcystus laughed.

"See, Roy? Fast asleep. Lloyd, we have to go now."

"Was listening," he mumbled sleepily. "Heard every word." He rubbed a hand over his eyes.

"Then you can repeat it to me as we walk back," Forcystus replied, clearly amused, and Lloyd stood up, mostly awake now. "Come on, Lloyd. If you spend too much time out of your cell the rumours only spread, you know."

"I'm not your pet," Lloyd muttered under his breath automatically. Forcystus laughed.

"I know that. Come on, I don't have all day." Lloyd nodded and was quickly by his side, on hand in his pocket on the feather. He thought it was strange how one little thing could cause such fear in the Cardinal's eyes. Cruxis… Cruxis caused this fear.

_The journey of Regeneration seals the Desians away… But then, the legend goes, the hero Mithos formed a pact with the Goddess Martel and gave his life to seal away the Desians. But if there were no Desians to seal, what did Mithos give his life for? And if Martel isn't real… No, Forcystus did say she exists. He isn't afraid of the journey of the Chosen, in fact, they are part of it. They help the Chosen become an angel by harassing her… So they mustn't be sealed away by it, otherwise they'd fear it. Oh, wait! Forcystus said that time that he hoped he got the Sybak Ranch when they moved… They must just go to the world that will start to fall into decline!_ Pleased with his deduction, he looked up at Forcystus. "What did the hero Mithos do?" He asked. Forcystus stopped moving, as though shocked by the sudden question.

"…The hero Mithos?" He murmured. "Why do you ask that?" Lloyd gave him a look.

"Well, the legend says that the hero Mithos formed a pact with the Goddess Martel and gave his life to seal the Desians and end the war, much like the journey of the Chosen does now. But if you're not sealed away and if the Desians didn't even exist until after the war, what did he do? Is he just… A legend?" Forcystus shook his head.

"Mithos did exist," he replied. "And he was a summoner. What Mithos did, however, was draw up the peace treaty and convince both sides to sign it, which ended the war. Since your side no longer knows of Tethe'alla, it has been changed to a war with the Desians so that it makes more sense. The hero Mithos…" He broke off and frowned, running one hand through his hair absently. "I believe he died for a cause," he murmured. "He was betrayed by humans."

"I thought he was human?" Lloyd replied. "We've got a picture in the school of him with angel wings, and the Goddess Martel. There's two armies at the bottom."

"He was a half-elf," Forcystus replied. "Does that shock you? Well, I am fairly certain of it. After he managed to bring peace to the warring sides, neither wanted him, because of his race. We always were fiercely hated, even four thousand years ago. I think he died to save the world from losing the tree, or something similar." He sighed, and Lloyd could see that he was still pale. He felt a bit bad for exhausting him so during their training. "No-one wants us. The elven side because they don't want to encourage human hatred, and they are fiercely jealous of their home anyway. And the human side doesn't want us because we're so different. Imagine, a human who loves an elf has a half-elven child. That child will never grow old, they will never see them grow old, that child can see things in the air they can't, that child can use magic, an unknown art. Of course you would be frightened, push the child away." Lloyd looked at him.

"Did your parents?" He asked. Forcystus shook his head.

"Both of my parents… Were half-elves," he replied. "Most half-elves are from two half-elves marrying these days. No-one wants anything to do with any other race any more."

"What about a half-elf and a human? Or a half-elf and an elf? What would happen then?" Lloyd asked, and Forcystus looked as though he was starting to get sick of the constant questioning.

"Then they would appear to be either human or elf, depending on which race was with the half-elf. Certainly, any summoners, or any humans who can use arts which depend on manipulation of mana, will have had an elf, and therefore a half-elf, in their family at some point in the past. The lineage of the Chosen is also carefully controlled to make sure the marriages are all to those with a little elven blood in them, so that the Cruxis Crystal doesn't kill them." He sighed. "Do you think that is something for a human to be ashamed of?" He asked Lloyd, who shook his head vehemently.

"Family is family, no matter how far in the past or what race," he replied. "Besides, what race an ancestor is isn't something you should be ashamed of at all. If I had a half-elf in my family I'd be quite happy, actually. I'd quite like to be able to use magic." Forcystus laughed.

"I would be quite worried if you could," he replied. Lloyd frowned, trying to work out if that was a compliment or an insult, eventually settling on the latter and glaring at Forcystus, who just laughed again. "You're a rare human, Lloyd," he told him. "Most people would deny any trace of half-elves in their past. Quite vehemently." Lloyd shrugged.

"That's their loss, then, isn't it?" He replied. "If people could get along we'd have no need for wars, no need for Ranches, the world wouldn't have had to be… Split in the first place."

"People will never get along," Forcystus murmured. "Here we are." They had come to a halt outside Lloyd's cell.

"…Thanks," he murmured. Forcystus frowned.

"For what?" He asked. Lloyd looked at the floor, a bit embarrassed.

"For… For asking Roy to teach me, a-and for answering my questions," he replied. "I didn't think you would, that's… All." Forcystus laughed.

"If they aren't so nosy that they would put myself or my Ranch in danger, I am quite happy to answer what you ask," he replied. "There's no harm in you knowing." He waited until Lloyd was properly in the cell before shutting and locking it. "Sometimes, Lloyd, you go too far. Bear that in mind." He turned and left.

_How am I supposed to know how far too far is? Half the time the questions aren't even all that bad…_ Lloyd wondered, frustrated.

Forcystus didn't appear for the whole of the next day, but that didn't worry Lloyd. Forcystus often left him alone for a day or so, he had things to do. What _did_ worry Lloyd was the poisonous looks the Desians kept giving him, as though he were responsible for some heinous crime but they couldn't do anything about it. Lloyd just sat in his cell and took the looks, not having much other option. He had the feather out in his hand, smoothing the separate little bits out, making it look more like a feather and not a mess he'd had stuck in his pocket. It was giving off a soft glow, which bathed the cell in a gentle light, and it put Lloyd more at ease. The glow reminded him of something, something he couldn't quite place, but that he associated with comfort and safety. He did remember Forcystus' words, not to show the feather to anyone else, no matter what, and he hid it back in his pocket every time a Desian came past. It irritated him that he still didn't really know where it came from, because Forcystus had never really confirmed his suspicions.

"…Lord Forcystus says it'll pass, though, so if he's sure…" At the sound of voices, the feather was instantly away. Lloyd hoped it was food, he hadn't had any that morning.

"It's that filthy inferior he's so attached to, I reckon. Dirty thing's given our Lord some nasty disease," a second Desian was saying. Lloyd froze. Forcystus was ill? No… It had to be whatever was making him act funny in front of Kvar, and had made him so weak yesterday.

"I wouldn't question Lord Forcystus' judgement. He's had orders from Cruxis, you know. That might be why." The two Desians came into view, one carrying a tray. One of them gave Lloyd a hateful look, but the other just indicated the monitor with a nod of his head, keeping hold of the tray. "L025, right?" He asked, and Lloyd nodded quickly.

"I-Is something wrong with Lord Forcystus?" He asked as the door opened. The trayless Desian glared.

"…Sort of," the other replied, putting the tray down. "That's all you're getting, you'd better appreciate it, inferior."

"Yessir," Lloyd replied, playing it safe so that the food wasn't taken away. The first Desian rolled his eyes.

"Keep away from it, it's probably diseased," he muttered. Lloyd ignored the comment, preferring to concentrate on the food.

"Lord Forcystus has had it almost a month now. If it was the inferior's fault then he would have got sick before. Use your head," the other one snapped. Lloyd was still steadfastly ignoring being called 'the inferior'. It worked better that way. The food was pretty good, too, which helped.

"Still think he shouldn't spend so much time around some little inferior like _this_," the first muttered. "What's so good about it anyway?" The second shrugged.

_Ignore them. Food. Concentrate on the food, _Lloyd told himself.

"He likes it enough to spend time with it. Are you questioning the will of Lord Forcystus?" The second replied. "If he wants a pet, he can have a pet."

"I'm not a pet," Lloyd mumbled. That was the one thing that really _got_ to him. Both Desians looked at him.

"What did you say, inferior being?" The first spat. Lloyd swallowed.

"Um… I'm not a pet… Sir…" He replied. The second one laughed aloud.

"Oh, _sure_. Lord Forcystus takes _real_ good care of you, little human insect. He wouldn't otherwise. Kharlan only knows why he's taken such a liking to you, but trust me…" Lloyd didn't hear the rest of the sentence, the full meaning of the word 'pet' finally coming home to him. _That _was why Kvar wanted him. That was what they thought Forcystus… He shuddered. Martel, no. No, no no no. Forcystus surely didn't think… "Are you listening to me, human?" The Desian spat, hitting Lloyd out of his horror.

"I-I'm sorry… Sir…" Lloyd stammered out, feeling numb. Forcystus hadn't even told him that…

Oh Martel, he'd told _Kvar_ that…

"You'd better be. You done?" Lloyd nodded numbly. For some reason he'd lost his appetite. "You should be glad Lord Forcystus has ordered us to keep an eye on you, else you'd be getting very little. I hope you're grateful, human."

"Yes, sir," Lloyd replied, not even looking at them. The Desian made a derisive noise and nodded to the other, and they both walked out and locked his cell again. Lloyd sat there in silence, in shock, for a long time, before the end of day call snapped him out of his horror. Shaking his head – it was surely dark outside, even if the lights were constantly on inside the Ranch – he absently felt in his pocket for the Lens, and pulled out the feather with it. Smiling slightly, he smoothed it out again and put it next to him on the only other feature of the cell – a small table – then held the Lens up to the light and thought of Forcystus.

Ill appeared to be an understatement. Forcystus was on the floor, clawing at the walls, shouting at a large number of Desians to just leave him the hell alone, and Roy was trying to keep order. Lloyd noticed with a start that there was blood on the floor, although there were no apparent wounds from Forcystus. He was shouting so loudly it was echoing in his cell, despite the reduced volume. Lloyd wondered if there was a way of making it quieter.

"Get out! Out! You aren't… Argh… Helping!" Forcystus screamed out, his voice full of anger and pain. "OUT!"

"Do as Lord Forcystus says!" Roy snapped. The Desians backed off a little, but there was clearly a lot of concern for Forcystus. Lloyd noticed that the bangle on his wrist was glowing white.

"It'll… Pass, it'll pass. Get out!" Forcystus yelled out. Eventually, the Desians left, and Forcystus was left to claw at the floor with only Roy for company.

"Sir, if…" The Desian started, but Forcystus shook his head mutely, clenching his fists.

"It'll… Pass…" He replied, his face deathly white. "Urgh… Go check… On Lloyd… For me… Please," he managed. Roy looked concerned, and Lloyd bit his lip. "Please…. Argh!" He doubled up in pain, looking at Roy. "They'll… Most likely… Blame him. I can't… Be doing… With him being… Harmed. Lord Aurion…" Roy nodded slowly.

"…As much as I dislike leaving you in this state, my Lord, I will do as you say," he replied. Lloyd picked up the feather, looked at it and held it in his hand.

_Please get better, Forcystus. You're all that's keeping me from being a Desian's plaything, or… Belonging to Kvar. _The feather glowed white softly, and through the Lens he could see Forcystus relax slightly, his breathing evening out and his fists unclenching.

"…Lloyd… I told you not to use that… Thing…" He murmured, chuckling softly. "…Lloyd…" Lloyd looked in shock from the feather to Forcystus again. "…Please… Don't judge me… I never wanted for you… To be here… I… Can't…" The Cardinal's eyes closed as he fell into unconsciousness. Lloyd lowered the Lens, confused.

_Never wanted me to be here? _He thought. _He was the one that brought me to this place! _Remembering belatedly that Forcystus had told Roy to check on him, he quickly put the Lens back in his pocket, keeping hold of the feather. Something about it had made Forcystus better… Slightly. And Lloyd didn't wish the sort of pain he had clearly been in on anyone, not even a Desian… Well, perhaps Kvar. But he was a special case.

"L025? You there?" Roy called.

"My name's Lloyd," the boy muttered sulkily, unwillingly putting the feather back into his pocket.

"So you are." Roy walked into view. "Not been hassled, have you?" Lloyd shook his head. "Good. Lord Forcystus asked me to check on you."

"What's wrong with him?" He asked, going up to the bars of the cell. Roy laughed.

"Titles… Lloyd," he reprimanded. Lloyd looked at the floor. Forcystus only ever insisted when there were other Desians around, or when he was angry. "Lord Forcystus will be just fine, it is a minor affliction. It will pass. Even Grand Cardinals can catch illnesses, you know." Lloyd kept his gaze locked on the floor, wondering why everyone seemed to love lying to him. It wasn't fair! He never lied to them! Well, apart from to Forcystus, and that was only a _few_ times…

"…I don't believe you," he mumbled. "…And I think you should go and check on Forcystus." Roy made a noise of protest.

"_Lord_ Forcystus!" He insisted. Lloyd looked at him.

"Still think you should," he replied. Strangely, Roy cursed and ran off. Lloyd looked at the monitor. Forcystus was out of it, Roy was distracted…

He typed in the code.

A quick test of the Sorcerer's Ring revealed that it had reverted back to its original function. That was just fine with Lloyd, and he knocked out an unsuspecting Desian swordsman and stole his sword, then did the same with the next one he came across. Feeling considerably more confident, Lloyd headed for the exit, cursing profusely when he came across a security field.

…_I've learnt some curses from Forcystus at least,_ he thought wryly, locating the nearest control panel. _…Please work…_ He stuck his sword into it and pulled down. An alarm set itself off and the security field went decidedly off. Grinning, Lloyd ran for it. Now, to locate the Rheairds…

He so nearly found them. However, he was distracted by the sound of Forcystus screaming, and detoured. Why, he didn't really know, but the only time he could ever remember hearing someone screaming like that was in the nightmares he had about his mother's death.

Lloyd rushed in, swords out, and hacked at the nearest thing to him, a man dressed in Desian uniform who was clearly not expecting the attack. He spun around and drew a sword at lightning speed, defending Lloyd's second attack masterfully. Lloyd could see strands of blue hair escaping from the helmet.

"And just… Who the hell are you?" He asked, looking confused. "A human?"

"L-Lloyd?" Forcystus choked out, on the floor. _Now_ there was a definite source of blood.

"I don't know who you are, but you are staying the hell away from Forcystus," Lloyd growled at the man, who simply laughed.

"Lloyd. I see. Well, I do not see the need to introduce myself to a miserable little creature like you," he muttered. Lloyd growled and charged at him, slashing out, managing to cause him at least some hassle even if he didn't land a blow on him. Forcystus was struggling to his feet.

"…You set off the alarms, you little toerag," he muttered. Lloyd ignored him, concentrating on the more obvious threat of the man with the sword. "Lloyd, he's a Renegade. Watch out, he'll have magic."

"Tch, you! Why didn't you just _die_?" the blue-haired man complained, jumping backwards with surprising agility. A glance at the monitor told him that Desians were running towards the control room. "…It seems I have overstayed my welcome. Desian! Your time is running short," he growled. Forcystus shrugged, apparently not worried despite an open wound in his side. "And Lloyd… Next time we meet, you're mine," he added to the boy, who charged at him, only to find himself slashing at empty air as the man disappeared. Lloyd paused, confused.

"Ugh…" Forcystus was examining the wound. "…Renegades. I'm not going to ask you where you got the swords, Lloyd. I am sure I will be hearing about it from some of my guards in future." Lloyd looked at him sheepishly, his brain telling him to run and find the Rheairds, but his legs not responding.

"Lord Forcystus!" A guard called, rushing in, several other Desians behind him. With only Forcystus and a weapon-wielding Lloyd in the room and Forcystus wounded, they jumped to the first conclusion, unfortunately for Lloyd, who found himself restrained, swords confiscated and arms held behind his back.

"Wait, wait! Put the human down!" Forcystus intervened, before Lloyd's arm was twisted so far it broke. "I'm just fine, and Lloyd did not attack me, despite what you think." The Desians kept a hold on Lloyd, but stopped breaking his arm.

"Sir?" One asked.

"Bloody Renegades again. I want all the surveillance footage reviewed, I want it found out just _how_ the Renegades managed to get in. Geez, I spend one day out of action and this is what happens? Prisoners escape and Renegades attack me? You're all useless, I should have you all fired, or executed, or… Or both! _Lloyd_ was more use than you!" Forcystus ranted, making his way over to the monitor and pressing a few buttons until the alarms shut down. "And I said put Lloyd _down_." Lloyd was quickly released, and he ran over to Forcystus rather than stay near the Desians who had nearly broken his arm.

"Milord, you're hurt," one Desian noticed. Forcystus rolled his eyes.

"It's nothing. I'm fine. Dismissed, go sort out the problem and have some Renegades executed, it'll improve my mood no end." The Desians glanced at each other, shrugged, saluted and filed out. Forcystus swore colourfully, one hand going to his side.

"…You're hurt…" Lloyd murmured. Forcystus laughed.

"Trust me, Lloyd, this is nothing," he replied. Lloyd noted that he didn't get thanked for saving the Cardinal's life. "I suspect you were trying to escape, yes?" Lloyd nodded slowly. There was no point trying to deny it, there was plenty of proof on the cameras. "…Then why come here?" Forcystus asked, watching Lloyd carefully. The teen sighed.

"I… Heard you screaming… I dunno, some… Instinct just… I had to save you," he admitted, going red. _Not a pet, not a pet, not a pet…_ He felt foolish, the reason had sounded stupid even as he said it… Strangely, Forcystus didn't ridicule him, he just smiled slightly.

"…Thank you," he murmured, wincing and swearing again as pain flared up in his side. Lloyd did a double take. He'd just… Been thanked? By _Forcystus?_ The Cardinal went over to a drawer, one hand still on his side, and eventually produced an Apple Gel, which he swiftly applied to his wound. Lloyd watched him, still confused. "I'm willing to let your escape attempt slide this once, purely because without it I would likely be dead, but I will have to take extra precautions. You are _not_ going to get out again; you've caused enough trouble with your running around already…"

"What's this I hear, Forcystus, about angels?" Came a voice from the holograph. Lloyd turned with Forcystus, the Cardinal adding several curses. He did not exactly look in a good state.

"Pronyma. How delightful of you to be concerned," he remarked, a fake smile on his face.

_Pronyma? He hates her…_Lloyd remembered.

"However, I think you will find that there are no angels at my Ranch, only an annoyingly large Renegade infestation which I will be dealing with shortly," Forcystus continued. Pronyma was looking at Lloyd, and he backed away slightly so that her view of him was obscured by Forcystus.

"Who is that?" She asked. Forcystus was still muttering a string of curses under his breath, but Lloyd doubted that Pronyma could hear them.

"No-one," he replied. "Do me a favour and get your nose out of my business and go suck up to Lord Yggdrasill, why don't you?" Lloyd cowered at the force of her glare, even though it wasn't directed at him.

"Forcystus, I have had just about enough of your insubordinance!" She spat. Forcystus laughed.

"It's the truth," he muttered. "I'm so glad you're concerned for my health after the Renegade attack," he added more loudly. "Do you have a reason for trying to ruin my day more or did you just fancy a chat?" Pronyma glared more fiercely, and Lloyd wondered how Forcystus could just stand there and take it.

"Lord Yggdrasill has ordered me to investigate you. There have been a lot of disturbances at your Ranch lately, and we are concerned," she replied. He noted the snide smile that appeared on Forcystus' face at the 'we'.

"How delightful," he replied sarcastically. "I hope you provide better company than Kvar is all I can say. But do me a favour and let me clear out the insects first, I might accidentally clean you out with them if you don't." The look on Pronyma's face could have melted stone.

"…You have two days, Forcystus. No more!" She replied, glancing at his side with disdain. "Glory to Lord Yggdrasill." Forcystus twitched.

"Glory to our Lord and the age of Half-elves," he replied, swearing profusely in the direction of the monitor when Pronyma had disappeared from it. "Infuriating woman!" He muttered. "I'd like to tie her up and leave her out in the forest for the animals to eat! And I'd hope it would be one of those irritating Giant Bugs, just to insult her!" Lloyd took a step away from him. "The nerve of her! Little slut! She has no right to demand and do as she pleases! We're both Cardinals!" He paused, noting Lloyd's fear. "…That is Lady Pronyma, leader of the Grand Cardinals… By the way," he told him. Lloyd nodded slowly. "Ow… I think I may have to heal this before it becomes a problem… I've no magic left at all; this morning drained me completely…" He glanced at Lloyd. "Are you hurt?" Lloyd shook his head. He might not have been able to inflict any damage on the mystery assailant, but he hadn't taken a hit himself, either. He was quite proud of that. "…Good. Come with me." Lloyd nodded.

_Not a pet, I am not a pet, _he told himself as he followed Forcystus.

"Lord Forcystus! That wound… Are you ok?" A female Desian, apparently a nurse, fretted as he entered the infirmary with Lloyd in tow.

"Fine, just out of magic," he replied. "So I'd appreciate it if you healed it."

"O-of course, my Lord!" The Desian replied, instantly going up to him and using First Aid. Forcystus watched the wound close, noting the hole in his clothing and the bloodstain with irritation.

"…This hasn't been my day," he decided. The nurse looked up at Lloyd.

"…Is the… Human… In need of healing?" She asked. Lloyd flinched at the tone of voice as she said 'human'. More proof of how much his race was hated, not that he needed it. Forcystus shook his head.

"No. He is just fine. My thanks." The nurse blushed. Clearly Forcystus was popular amongst the women of the Ranch for more than one reason. "Come, Lloyd. We have some trash to clear out." Lloyd looked at the floor.

_I am not a pet. And… He's going to execute Renegades… Isn't he?_

"Don't dawdle, Lloyd," he snapped, and Lloyd nodded and rushed to catch up. Forcystus lead him back to the control room, and Lloyd noticed him wince at the sight of his own blood. Roy was in there, sorting out the monitors.

"Milord! I was concerned…" He murmured. Forcystus sighed.

"Hopefully that will be the last of today's… Events," he replied. "I am just fine. However, this mess will need cleaning, get someone on it. And if I find a Renegade in this base they are dead, understood?" Roy nodded, and Lloyd winced. "Lloyd… Thank you for earlier," Forcystus added softly. Lloyd's hand instantly went to the Magic Lens, afraid the Cardinal would take it away. "…I'm not angry… You saved me a lot of pain and inconvenience. For once, your stubbornness has actually been of use."

"Milord, I do not know how a Renegade managed to get all the way to the control room, but I assure you…"

"Don't worry, Roy. Lloyd decided to do some tinkering with the security fields with a borrowed sword, didn't you, Lloyd?" Forcystus explained, and Lloyd looked at the floor and mumbled an apology. Roy raised his eyebrows.

"He's more trouble that he's worth, milord, if you ask me," he remarked. Lloyd glared at him.

"Not true! I saved Forcystus twice, so there," he protested. Forcystus put a hand on his shoulder to quieten him.

"Be that as it may, orders are orders," he replied. "And he speaks the truth. If not for him prying this morning, I would have been easy prey for the Renegades." Lloyd hung his head, reminded that he'd disobeyed. Roy shrugged.

"I'll get someone to clean up the blood, Sir. You are not hurt?" Forcystus shook his head.

"I'll take Lloyd back to his cell. Pronyma is kindly paying us a visit soon. Make sure the Ranch is spotless, I want no reason for her to go to Lord Yggdrasill, understood?" Roy saluted and nodded.

"Everything will be sorted presently, sir," he responded. Forcystus smiled slightly.

"Good. Come on, Lloyd." He walked out of the room, Lloyd following obediently.

"Forcystus…" He started once they neared his cell.

"Hm?" He asked, pausing to unlock the cell. Lloyd bit his lip.

"Kvar… Kvar doesn't want me as… As a _pet_, does he?" He asked.

"Lord Kvar, Lloyd," Forcystus reprimanded. "…And I'd be lying if I said no… I'm sorry. I guess my guards have been a little loose with their tongues?" Lloyd hesitated.

"Well… They seem certain I'm… Your pet…" He murmured. "They seem to think you're too… Attached to me for it to be anything else… And then I realised just what it meant, and I know how Kvar was looking at me… It scared me. At first I thought he'd recognised me, but…" Forcystus sighed.

"…Lloyd, you are safe in this Ranch. You will be no-one's pet, I despise the very thought. They simply need an excuse for why I treat you like a hum… Like a person," he replied. "We'll see what happens. I know Pronyma is coming, but she neither knows nor cares for the Angelus Project, so I can find a way to hide you… But it will be… Hard on you." He sighed. "I shall speak to you about it tomorrow. Alright?" Lloyd nodded and walked into the cell resignedly, Forcystus not letting him watch him with the code. It was only once he'd left that Lloyd realised that he hadn't corrected him once for only using his name.

What could it mean…?

* * *

**A/N - **Next time on Cruxis TV, Forcystus gets a visit from Pronyma!

Only (hopefully) one and a half more chapters until Lloyd's escape ^^ And I promise all secrets will be revealed (and Lloyd will get his wings) before the group leave Sylvarant.


	12. Chapter twelve: Leonazium

Urgh, I'm sorry, guys, I keep trying to sort out this paragraph problem, but short of going through and adding a bunch of spaces I can't do much about it. Ah, well, you can all tell when the scene changes, I'm sure. I'll give you ^that^ much credit.

Apologies for my large absence! Contrary to my expectations, some of these exams (C3 Maths, I'm looking at YOU here) actually required me to do some work *le gasp*. BUT now I only have one exam left (Biology) which will be a cakewalk if the past papers are anything to go by, so I'm back to writing at my normal pace (ish).

**Disclaimer: **Do I still need to put this in? Don't own. From now on the disclaimer will be discontinued, as I'm sure you've all got the idea by now.

Apologies that it's so short Time issues once more.

Nightfoot: RoyxHawkeye is very much ftw. I'm currently up to ep.31. Fanfiction will be incoming once I have enough time... Symphony takes priority of course ^^

Liana: Be patient, Zelos will be there soon XD

Anon: Don't worry, things won't always be as bad as they seem ^^

SoS: ...Because I didn't think of that :p And at that point in time he's thinking that his best hope is for the Chosen. He went after Forcy for different reasons, but... Yeah. *hidesincorner*

Thanks to freaky for beta'ing again, unfortunately my writing skills fail to live up to standard :( Ack, but who knows what _really _goes on in Ranches anyway...

* * *

Chapter twelve: Leonazium

Ranch work. That was what Forcystus had suggested. _Ranch work_.

_A whole day… Doing that sort of work… With people who hate me for being the spoiled one… Oh Martel…_ Lloyd thought, head in his hands. _I hate Pronyma almost as much as Forcystus now…_ He'd put the chip back on his arm, in case Pronyma decided to arrive early – according to Forcystus it was just the sort of thing she'd do. Lloyd hadn't argued with Forcystus. He didn't want Forcystus to go through the same pain he had done before, not that he understood why he had, and besides, he had broken the rules.

He was already in standard Ranch clothes. He had seen the absolute distaste in Forcystus' look as he gave them to Lloyd, and the boy had figured it was because of the smell, and the bad state of them. His normal clothes, along with the Magic Lens and the printout Forcystus had done for him, were under the bed in his cell. He still had the feather in his hands, wishing that the standard uniform had pockets. Forcystus had explained that it didn't in case prisoners tried to sneak escape tools to other prisoners, or hide things. Security in the Ranch was tight. No-one got in, no-one got out, except through transfer or death. Lloyd was only just starting to understand why the woman, Harriet, had wanted death. It was her own way of rebellion, of saying to Forcystus, 'no matter how hard you tried to keep me in, I escaped.' Forcystus had known that. He hadn't been more harsh to her than anyone else, but, in the end, he had let her go. Lloyd had hated him for it then, but he understood a bit more now. Maybe he'd be able to understand better after doing a day's hard labour with Desians and humans that hated him. He shuddered at the thought. Forcystus was an idiot.

Lloyd wanted to keep hold of the feather. It made him feel safe. It was something about it, something from a childhood memory long forgotten, some instinct that called out to him even if he couldn't remember why. All he knew was that the light should be blue, not white. Sighing, he put the feather with the Lens and Printout. If _Pronyma_ saw it, there would definitely be trouble.

Forcystus came to fetch him the next morning, and they walked in silence. All the Cardinal had said was his number, and Lloyd had to bite his lip to keep himself from protesting. When they got closer to the cells, Forcystus explained softly that there would not be any leeway today, that if he did not behave he would be hurt and Forcystus would have no say in it, not without Pronyma growing suspicious. He had also said in no uncertain terms that an escape attempt would not be helpful.

He got several glares as Forcystus pushed him roughly into the room where the rest of the prisoners were held, but none of them dared say anything with Forcystus around.

"You vermin will be pleased to note that we have a visitor today," he told them. "If _any_ bad behaviour occurs, punishment will be unconditional, am I understood?" There was a chorus of 'yes, Lord Forcystus' from the humans. "Lady Pronyma is here to see a _working, efficient_ Ranch and that is what she will see. Don't make me kill any of you; it's such a waste of my time." With that, he turned and walked away, the Desians on guard saluting him as he walked past. Lloyd watched him go, worried. This was the situation he had feared when he had first woken at the Ranch, this was what he hated. And Forcystus was putting him through it… He had been surprised when the Cardinal hadn't, at first. He was thanking Martel that it was only a day.

"I heard he got sick," a prisoner murmured.

"Bastard got what's coming to him if he did. Should've died, Desian scum," another prisoner replied. Lloyd bit his lip, wondering what they would think if they found out he'd saved him. He'd saved him! A human saving a Desian… A prisoner saving his captor…

_But Forcystus is… More than that… He's almost a…_Lloyd cut himself off. Forcystus was an enemy; he had to think of him as an enemy!

"Even if he did kick the bucket, we'd just have some other Desian lording over us. Cocky little gits, every one of them," a third prisoner cut in. "They think they're so tough. If we could only get our hands on a weapon or two…"

"Keep talking like that, you'll go the same way Harriet did," the first one cautioned. "She nearly got a lot of us killed. Don't do the same." The third prisoner shrugged. "Hey, you. The _Cardinal_ got bored of keeping you as his little pet?" The first one continued, turning to Lloyd, who flushed. He _hated_ that.

"I'm not a pet," he replied instantly. "I'm just a prisoner." They laughed harshly.

"If you were just a prisoner, he wouldn't have had you follow at his heel like a dog. Did you have fun, being the Desian's puppy?" The second asked patronisingly.

"I-I'm not a dog!" Lloyd replied. _This is going to go so badly, I can feel it…_ "Forcystus just had to keep an eye on me. H-he had orders!" The prisoners glanced at each other, looking worried.

"Hey, no need to get us into trouble!" The third one told him in a hissed whisper.

"You don't use the Cardinal's name without a title! What are you, stupid?" The first reprimanded. Lloyd hung his head. Yesterday's events and Forcystus' detachment had made him careless! He _was_ an idiot…

"Hey, we can use this," the second realised suddenly. "If he was a pet… D'you know anything about this illness rumour?" Lloyd but his lip.

"It passed. It wasn't anything serious," he replied, seeing the looks of disappointment on the prisoners' faces. "But I'm _not_ a pet. Martel, no. F… Lord Forcystus told me that he despised the idea." The first raised his eyebrows.

"He _talked_ to you? In a civilised manner? Now that I can't believe," he remarked.

"The Cardinal hates the lot of us. You know what they're like with us humans. No way did he treat you like a person," the second added.

"_They simply need an excuse for why I treat you like a hum… Like a person," _was what Forcystus had said the other day. Lloyd sighed.

"…It's hard to explain…" He murmured. The third laughed.

"Hey, but you're in with us now. Got an Exsphere and everything." He indicated Lloyd's hand, and he covered his Exsphere protectively. "You ain't getting out of it."

"…It's just for the day… Lord Forcystus promised…" Lloyd protested. They all laughed then.

"You believed a promise made by a Desian? Get real," the first ridiculed, and Lloyd hung his head. Yes, today was going to be _bad_.

So, they had to push rocks cut from the cliff into the courtyard. That wasn't so hard for Lloyd with the aid of his Exsphere – the aid of his mother – but for the rest of the prisoners whose Exspheres were raw and powerless, it was a very demanding task. Lloyd decided quickly that acting as though it was just as hard for him would be the best idea. It was still fairly tiring.

He saw Forcystus with Pronyma quite early into the day. Neither of them looked particularly happy, and he saw Forcystus spit insults at her several times. She looked as though she wanted to roast him over a spit. Lloyd wondered absently why none of the Cardinals got along. Surely one of the most important things in any organisation was teamwork and trust? None of the Cardinals had any love for each other, much less trust.

"Your humans are filthy," Pronyma remarked as they passed close by Lloyd.

"Go to Kvar's Ranch then come back and say that," Forcystus spat. "Get working, don't stare!" Lloyd hadn't dared, in case Pronyma recognised him, but some of the others had. "Inferiors…" Forcystus murmured, but Lloyd could feel his gaze on him for a second, worry in his eyes as he looked up only for a second. "Come, Pronyma. I'm sure you don't wish to spend time out here with the humans. You might catch something." His voice was full of bitterness; clearly she had poked fun at his illness earlier. Lloyd felt sorry for him. He was a good person inside, but he hid it. He was hated by the prisoners for good reason; he was constantly in battle with almost all of the other Desians… He had been a hero, now what was he…?

One of the prisoners was whipped for disobedience halfway through the day. Lloyd had to work hard to keep a hold on himself, just carrying on and ignoring it went against all his beliefs. _Never abandon someone in need._ Although, last time he had tried to stop it, Iselia had been… He shook his head. How could he have known they had security cameras? He hadn't even known about their existence at the time! He had only been trying to do what was best… But he had made a mistake. He sighed absently, making those working near him give him a strange look. He had to make up for his mistakes. He had to atone for what he had caused Iselia to suffer.

He had to find Colette.

He didn't cause trouble.

The work at the Ranch clearly didn't feature breaks. Forcystus hadn't really told him all that much, other than that more suffering made a more powerful Exsphere. And the more powerful the end result, the better. Just after midday – Lloyd made an educated guess by the position of the sun in the sky – Forcystus came out into the courtyard on his own to watch the work, obviously having managed to get rid of Pronyma for a while. He noted those around him shoot the Cardinal poisonous glances, but he did nothing of the sort. He knew full well what Forcystus had put himself through for Lloyd when Kvar had come. How could he hate him after that?

Pronyma arrived a short while later, a disk in her hand, and had a talk with Forcystus that Lloyd was too far away to hear. Forcystus was waving her away irritably, clearly not happy with whatever she was suggesting, and Lloyd bit his lip when she indicated the prisoners working. That included _him_, and at this point he was exhausted despite his Exsphere. He could feel its warmth rushing into him as he worked, but it wasn't enough. He was surprised the other workers managed to stand it.

_Maybe I'm just weak?_ He wondered miserably as Forcystus shouted at Pronyma. He couldn't distinguish words, but he could tell by the tone of the Desian's voice that he was barely concealing anger. When he dared to glance up again, Pronyma was walking across the courtyard, Forcystus stalking after her, still angry. The prisoners had been exchanging glances, clearly they found it amusing to see their overlord put down and ignored.

"…See why Lord Yggdrasill should mind if I take one," Pronyma was remarking, a slight smile on her lips. Lloyd swallowed. This was like the situation with Kvar all over again.

"Lord Yggdrasill would kill it in an instant! He hates them!" Forcystus replied. Pronyma sighed.

"But they're such fun to _play_ with," she replied, her eyes falling on Lloyd, who ignored it. Forcystus had gone slightly pale.

"_No_, Pronyma. It would be pointless, a waste, and the Exsphere would never…"

"Leonazium." Lloyd cried out as dark energy hit him and he crashed to the ground. What the hell?

_That was like Beast, only more painful,_ he thought, struggling to his feet, deciding that arguing would be a very, very bad idea.

"Pronyma, you _idiot_!" Forcystus shouted. "You do not attack my prisoners without reason! What in hell was that for?" Lloyd felt slightly reassured by the worry in his voice.

"It's fun," she replied absently. "I liked the look of your little pet. Kvar wants that inferior to play with, doesn't he?"

"Kvar's not having him," Forcystus muttered. "Leave them alone, let them work. If you've injured it badly enough it might not be able to work as effectively. I will be _very angry_ if it dies because of that." Pronyma just laughed. Lloyd wanted a sword or two; he'd show _her_ a Beast.

"And I do not care. I am here on Lord Yggdrasill's orders; surely you do not dispute the will of our Lord?" Pronyma replied with a false sweet smile.

"If you bring that up one more time, I swear…" Forcystus muttered, stalking after Pronyma as she walked off, shooting a glance back at Lloyd, who risked smiling slightly. He was fine. A small smile touched Forcystus' face, which turned instantly to intense irritation as Pronyma demanded something.

Pronyma was still in the Ranch when the sun set and the siren sounded for the end of the working day.

"That was a little rough on you, young 'un. You alright?" One prisoner asked him. Lloyd nodded. His Exsphere meant he could take things like that, even if it had hurt considerably.

"Heh, that Desian sure wiped the smirk off Lord Forcystus' face!" Another remarked. "Not often we get to see that. Happy days, eh?" Lloyd just nodded again. Pronyma was only just below Kvar now on the list of Desians Lloyd would like to kill. The list wasn't all that long. It included Kvar, Pronyma and Yggdrasill, and that was pretty much it.

Lloyd curled up in a corner, trying to ignore the snide 'pet' comments shot in his direction every so often, and waited for Forcystus to come and get him. He didn't know why Pronyma had decided to stay so long; she and Forcystus clearly didn't get along. He knew Forcystus wouldn't just leave him… Well, he was fairly certain. He didn't have a raw Exsphere, and the orders from Cruxis…

When silence fell over the prisoners, Lloyd looked up, hopeful.

"I'm glad you've learnt how to behave, you inferior insects," Forcystus remarked, and Lloyd stood up, hopeful.

"Out of Lord Forcystus' way!" A guard spat, and the prisoners parted.

"L025! Make yourself known," Forcystus spat. Lloyd walked forwards, uncertain. The tone of Forcystus' voice was so angry… "You have caused Lady Pronyma _problems_," he spat, and Lloyd met his gaze, confused. "I intend to remove them." The prisoners around him winced, giving him sympathetic looks. "Here. Now." Lloyd went up to him, as ordered, thoroughly confused and hoping that this was just part of the act. A guard grabbed him, and he didn't resist. The prisoners looked away. Lloyd shot Forcystus a terrified look, and the angry look on Forcystus' face softened slightly. "I want _no_ fuss from you insects, understood?" He snapped at the prisoners. There was utter silence. "Good. Bring him." The guard nodded, dragging Lloyd out of the room.

"L-lord Forcystus…" Lloyd whimpered once they were away from the rest of the prisoners. Forcystus looked at him.

"Alright. Let him go," he told the guard, who nodded. Lloyd practically collapsed from fear. "What's wrong, Lloyd? You didn't think I'd actually have you killed, did you?" The Cardinal asked. Lloyd looked at him.

"…I… Wasn't sure… Because… Pro- Lady Pronyma…" He mumbled. Forcystus laughed softy.

"Pronyma is a bitch who deserves what's coming to her. She had no right to attack you, nor any of the prisoners. This is my Ranch; I decide what goes on in it, not her. She's just Lord Yggdrasill's little slut, and she _loves _it." The guard was dismissed with a wave of Forcystus' hand. "She didn't hurt you, did she?"

"…Not much…" Lloyd replied. "My Exsphere… I mean…" Forcystus nodded.

"She hates humans, really. She was just doing that to irritate me because she heard about Kvar's… Rather unhealthy obsession with you. You're a human! He's such an…" Forcystus shook his head rather than finish the sentence. Lloyd gave him a worried look. "No use fretting over it. Come on, I'm sure you'd like to get out of those… Clothes." Lloyd noticed Forcystus' hesitation over use of the word 'clothes' for the rags he had on. He nodded, and Forcystus smiled. Lloyd noted how very rarely Forcystus actually smiled, if the snide smiles he often had for those he didn't respect didn't count. Lloyd wasn't the only one who never seemed to smile in this Ranch.

Forcystus took him back to his cell and did something strange with the control panel so that an opaque covering slid down between the bars.

"Wish I could do that," Lloyd murmured. He heard Forcystus laugh, although he could only see the half-elf as a vague silhouette.

"If you had paid attention to Roy you'd be able to," he replied. Lloyd huffed, dressing quickly then going up to the bars and tapping the covering. Forcystus removed it, making Lloyd give him a dismayed look.

"It's just plastic, Lloyd," he told the disappointed teen, noting that Lloyd now had the feather in his hand again. "…You're quite attached to that, aren't you?" He murmured. Lloyd's grip on it tightened jealously.

"It's… Comforting," he murmured, unable to explain it properly. Forcystus nodded.

"…Yes…" He murmured. "No-one caused you any hassle today, did they?" Lloyd shook his head.

"…All the prisoners are convinced I'm your pet too, Forcystus. I hate it," he admitted. Forcystus sighed.

"Well, I can't really do all that much about it. Grin and bear it, alright? I'll see what I can do." Lloyd looked from the feather to Forcystus.

"Why didn't you want me here?" He asked suddenly, remembering what Forcystus had said through the Lens. Forcystus laughed bitterly.

"Because a Ranch is no place for a human. That's the whole point of them, right? I've exposed you to a lot of danger besides, especially Kvar. You'd have been better off with the Chosen."

"…If your orders were 'keep me safe'… Why should I necessarily be here?" Lloyd murmured. Forcystus gave him a careful look.

"Don't, Lloyd," he murmured. "If I let you out, I…"

"Someone will tell Yggdrasill about this?" He held the feather up.

"Lord Yggdrasill!" Forcystus reprimanded harshly. "I don't know what you are talking about! You're more trouble than you're worth sometimes!"

"I try," Lloyd replied with a smile. Strangely, that made Forcystus smile, too.

"…Yes, you do," he murmured. "You are… Very like… The person I used to be." He sighed and walked away.

"F-Forcystus! Wait! What?" Lloyd called, confused, but the half-elf didn't look back. _What was that all about…?_

* * *

**A/N - **It's a little shorter than some of the others, I apologise.

Can you tell that Forcy hates Pronyma? I think he hides it quite well XD

Reviews welcome ^^


	13. Chapter thirteen: Escape!

**Hi guys! **Exams are now over and although I did have a minor nervous breakdown which required a couple of days off school, I'm fine now and writing again!

Thanks to my Beta, Freakyanimegal, who pointed out a few... Personality flaws halfway through. I have summarily changed things. I hope it meets with your satisfaction, XD, I did my best.

And OMG, the chapter title gives nothing away about the content *shifty look*

Liana: It's Lloyd's influence XD the more he's around him, the more he smiles.

LikeaGlintofLight: Hee hee, she was my least fave Cardinal. Does it show?

SoS: That's their main weakness. Forcy knows it but doesn't really care. And there are a few Desians in the Ranch that Forcy will trust with Lloyd, like Roy, and the two guards with him were in that category. Otherwise there would have bene problems.

CBK: Thankyou! I'm pleased you like it ^^

Sliver: ^^ I shall do my best. I'm warning you in advance that Genis occasinally has characterisation issues with me, but I'm sure Freaky will spot them ^^

Aion: The questions will be answered in this chapter. Although I personally am not happy with the way they can get from Hakonesia to Palmacosta and back in the space of a day (they do do it at one point) I've made the rest of the distances more reasonable. It takes a long time to get from Triet to Hima, for instance.

teno: I'd be glad to ^^

* * *

Chapter thirteen: Escape!

The next day, for no apparent reason, Forcystus took Lloyd to the infirmary and had him chipped. Lloyd didn't ask why, afraid that it might make Forcystus change his mind.

"This'll hurt," Forcystus warned as the nurse on duty that day gave Lloyd a disdainful look. Lloyd shrugged. In his opinion, it was worth it. He could get out without causing a hassle! The one thing that confused him was that Forcystus _had_ to know that, he'd said he suspected him of trying to escape before, plus he had actually tried before.

It _did_ hurt, like a small electric jolt, but it was only a slight discomfort. Lloyd saw his Exsphere glow, and knew that had something to do with the lack of discomfort. He noticed Forcystus smile slightly at that, too. Maybe they weren't so different…

"There, milord," the nurse told him once she was certain the chip had implanted properly.

"Thank you," Forcystus told her. She smiled brightly – another Forcystus fan, clearly. Most of the Desians in the Ranch respected Forcystus, the only exceptions seeming to be those who had been transferred from Kvar's Ranch. Apparently he wasn't too popular there, but Forcystus had said himself that he didn't care. It was rather hard for the Desians to win Forcystus' respect in return, but there were a few Desians that Forcystus did appreciate, Roy being the most notable one. Lloyd noticed that he tended to give every Desian a chance, however. Clearly those he disliked hadn't made much of the chance.

* * *

Lloyd's lessons in how to work computers resumed that week, much to Lloyd's dismay. As much as he knew it would be useful, it was very… Boring. He took slightly more of interest in it with Forcystus as his teacher, but even the Cardinal couldn't make it that much more interesting. He did, however, keep enough of an eye on Lloyd that the teen didn't get an opportunity to fall asleep like he had with Roy.

Lloyd learned fast, despite the boredom it caused. Forcystus displayed a mixture of surprise and displeasure when Lloyd demonstrated his skill by hacking into the main console and disabling all the security cameras, and Forcystus had to do a quick reset and tell him sternly not to do that sort of thing, period. Lloyd had just looked innocent – or tried to – and said that he would never do such a thing. Forcystus had just found that amusing.

* * *

Forcystus was keeping a much closer eye on Lloyd, with the teen following him around most of the Ranch rather than staying in his cell, but the Cardinal was still careful to keep him away from the prisoners, and the Rheairds. Lloyd's mental Ranch map was slowly being built up because of this, and he was fairly confident that he would be able to locate the Rheairds on his own when he got the chance. Not that Forcystus seemed willing to give him a chance.

He practised hiding under the console twice that week, when Kvar had two long talks with Forcystus, which inevitably deteriorated into shouting matches. The two Cardinals did not get on at all, perhaps even less so than Forcystus did with Pronyma. Their dislike for each other was clear, in the way they spoke, the way they looked, and in what Forcystus said to him after Kvar had ceased the communication. The hatred was so thinly veiled; it was hard to say it was hidden at all. The third time Lloyd had to hide, the mood changed entirely. It was Yggdrasill.

"Forcystus, I hope you are there," he started, his voice as cold as ever. Lloyd was practically not breathing under the console; for fear that he would be heard.

"Yes, milord Yggdrasill," Forcystus greeted with a low bow. Yggdrasill laughed.

"Your games have been _ever_ so much fun to watch, Forcystus," he remarked. "Kvar has informed me of a very _interesting _episode that occurred whilst he was visiting your Ranch…"

"I was coming down with an illness, milord," Forcystus replied, and Lloyd could see his right hand shaking. Fear, this time, even Lloyd could feel it. Roy was trying his best not to shake, too; Yggdrasill scared them all. "I forgive any disturbance I may have caused. It could not be helped." Yggdrasill laughed.

"I thought you _never_ fell ill," he murmured. Forcystus swallowed nervously.

"I… Am no angel, Lord Yggdrasill," he replied. Yggdrasill's eyes narrowed.

"You should be," he hissed. Roy bit his lip and looked away, as if indicating to Forcystus that he would count that comment as not having been heard.

"…I cannot claim to be what I am not, my Lord, I apologise for disappointing you," the Cardinal murmured. Lloyd's fingers brushed against the feather in his pocket. How could something that seemed only to bring hatred be associated with comfort to him? Something in his past… He must have seen an angel in his past. An angel with blue wings?

"_Be careful, you know he can't fly…_" Lloyd shook his head. _Don't think about it!_ He scolded himself. _Concentrate. Don't give yourself away to Yggdrasill; else he'll hurt Forcystus… Or me…_

"You are simply a lying dog," Yggdrasill spat. Forcystus hung his head.

"…I swear, my Lord, I am not lying to you…" He murmured.

"I _will_ find the truth. You _are_ a success. I do. Not. Make. Mistakes."

"…Of course not, my Lord…" Forcystus murmured, his tone still soft and respectful. "But I have seen no indication of my being an… Angel. Forgive me." Yggdrasill made a mildly irritated noise.

"Dog," he spat. Forcystus nodded quietly. "And Kvar has told me some interesting stories about a human at your Ranch…"

"Kvar exaggerates things, my Lord," Forcystus murmured. Yggdrasill laughed coldly.

"Perhaps. But perhaps I should look into it?" Forcystus shook his head.

"He was killed, milord," he replied. "Constant disobedience. Useless." Yggdrasill gave him a careful look.

"…Hm," he murmured. "I shall choose to believe you… This time. But if I happen to see anything… Out of the ordinary at your Ranch, _more_ humans might end up perishing, and I may just have to reintroduce you to Derris-Kharlan." Forcystus was clearly scared, although he was doing his best to hide it. "One slip up. And that little inferior rat is dead. Do you understand me?" Forcystus nodded.

"Of course, my Lord," he replied. Yggdrasill laughed.

"You are so pathetic," he murmured, ending the transmission. Lloyd crawled out from under the console, shooting Forcystus a terrified look.

"…I had hoped he wouldn't notice," Forcystus murmured. "…I have no choice. It has reached a point where your safety here at this Ranch is jeopardised…" He sighed and looked at Roy. "Look after the Ranch for a while, Roy. I have… Things I must do."

"As you wish, sir," Roy replied, not looking up from his console.

"…Forcystus?" Lloyd asked, confused. Forcystus sighed.

"…Follow me, Lloyd. It's about time you saw a Rheaird up close," he replied. Lloyd did a double-take. Was Forcystus really… About to let him go?

* * *

Forcystus walked quickly, Lloyd having to struggle to keep up, and he went through several security fields.

_Has he been planning this? _Lloyd wondered as he followed. He was no longer scared of the fields of light, but he had displayed some trepidation the first time he had gone through one. Forcystus had assured him that the chip would work, and after sticking his hand through with no ill effects, he had eventually gone through, but if he had hesitated like that here, he would have lost Forcystus quickly.

"The Chosen's group is in Palmacosta," he murmured. "Or, more specifically, have just left Palmacosta and are headed for… Hakonesia Peak, I believe." Lloyd nodded, not that Forcystus was looking at him. "Depending on your driving skills, we should be able to catch them before they get there. How confident are you?" Lloyd looked at the metal thing hovering in the air dubiously. It looked a lot less safe up close. "I shall set it to follow mine, then. All you will have to do is hold on. Sound better?" Lloyd nodded, and Forcystus pressed some buttons on a console and got the Rheairds to unfold. It was like a bird spreading its wings. Lloyd got on the red one, Forcystus on a light blue one, and with a rush of mana they took off.

"H-how do they work?" Lloyd asked as they flew. Forcystus was looking at the fuel gauge of his with a frown.

"Mana. From Volt. Not that Volt is in this world, but we can power them up with fuel cells. It would be a lot easier if we had Volt to hand, of course, but there aren't any summoners among the Desians." Lloyd nodded slowly, glancing at the various dials on the Rheaird. He recognised fuel, internal temperature and one that appeared to be airspeed, but they were written in a strange language which vaguely registered in his mind as "angelic". He looked down, and instantly regretted it. The ground was _very _far below them, and they were flying fast. They seemed to be flying fairly close to the Tower of Salvation, but Forcystus gave it a wide berth as they got closer. Clearly it was not his favourite place, although Lloyd wasn't sure why. He just recognised the look of venom the Desian had shot at it as being identical to the one he often gave Kvar.

They flew over a lot of sea until Lloyd finally saw land again, and a large number of mountains.

"Behind those mountains. Palmacosta Ranch. Magnius," Forcystus told him bluntly, pointing. Lloyd followed the direction of his finger. "Down there. Remote Island Ranch. Rodyle. On the island near Palmacosta." Lloyd could only just see it. "Nor'nor'west. Asgard Ranch. Three guesses." Lloyd could just see the top of the Ranch watch tower, but even then he had to strain his eyes. They were hovering now. "Down there, on that Island. Thoda Geyser, seal of water." Lloyd nodded; he could just about see it. "Tower of Mana. Kept locked, rarely visited." Lloyd could see that tower behind the Tower of Salvation itself. "Balacruf mausoleum to the northeast. It's a seal, but I'm not certain if you can actually get in without something or other from Asgard. Which is just there, by the way." Lloyd nodded, following Forcystus' finger once more. "Triet desert and the ruins are back there, you might have seen them in the distance." Lloyd nodded. "Hima is on that mountain back there, Luin to the northeast of it. Luin being the town on the lake." Lloyd nodded. "I'm going to land the Rheairds now, alright?" Lloyd nodded, taking a firmer hold on the handles as Forcystus descended fairly gently. As they landed, Lloyd gave the Rheairds a look.

"How are you going to get mine back to the Ranch?" He asked. Forcystus gave him a knowing smile and took out a small, tablet-shaped object, holding it up. In a flash of mana, Lloyd's Rheaird disappeared into it. "Wow!" Lloyd exclaimed, running up and examining it. "What is it? How do you do that?"

"It's a Wing Pack," Forcystus replied. "Very useful. Works with mana. Have it." He passed it to Lloyd who took it and examined it. "Hold it up and press the button on the bottom – not now! – And the Rheaird will come back out. I've plenty; I can say you stole it. Mine, however, is almost out of fuel, so I shall be paying Magnius a visit shortly and getting it recharged. Look after that."

"I-I will!" Lloyd promised. "Forcystus… Thank you. I never thought…" Forcystus smiled sadly at him.

"Just doing my job," he replied. "Now, get going. If you're quick you'll be able to get to Hakonesia peak before the Chosen's group. Here's a pair of swords…" Forcystus handed Lloyd two swords in scabbards, real swords, the type he used, not ones stolen from unfortunate Desians.

"…Forcystus…" He murmured.

"Don't be silly. You need to be able to defend yourself," Forcystus replied. "Here's an Apple Gel. Don't do anything stupid, alright? Just catch up to the Chosen's group. Forget the Ranches, forget me. _Do not_, under any circumstances, get too angry, Lloyd. You know what happens at the Ranches, I know, and you don't like it. But you will not be able to stop it, and it would be jeopardising the Chosen to try."

"I'm sorry for causing you such trouble," Lloyd murmured. Forcystus laughed.

"I think I created my own trouble, bringing you to the Ranch. I never anticipated that you would be so difficult, but… I think it may do you good, in the long run. Remember, though, I am your enemy now." He got back onto his Rheaird. "Good luck."

"Thank you, Forcystus…" Lloyd murmured, and the Cardinal laughed.

"I thought you hated me?" He murmured, his Rheaird taking off. Lloyd watched him fly over the mountains, then set off in the direction of Hakonesia Peak.

* * *

"Did you see it, Professor? Look!" Colette cried, pointing into the sky where a Rheaird was flying. Kratos looked at it, a frown on his face.

"Interesting… I wonder…" Raine murmured. "If only there were some way to get close to it…"

"Aw, sis. You don't have to study _everything_," Genis complained, and had to evade a smack for it.

"The chances of catching it are very low. We should move on," Kratos said curtly. "You cannot forget that we are on a mission." Colette hung her head.

"…Yes, Kratos," she murmured. Kratos cast another glance into the sky.

_Rheairds… Either it's Yuan, or… What are the Desians up to now? _He wondered. _And if it's Yuan… _He shook his head slowly. Colette was up ahead, almost out of sight, and Raine called out to her to be careful.

"I will, Professor – ah!" Colette tripped on… Probably nothing, and fell out of view. Kratos shook his head slowly as Raine ran forwards, and there was a monster call. He drew his sword, moving forwards, but as Colette got up and moved backwards, afraid, the monster fell mid-jump.

"Colette!" Genis cried out, running forwards.

"Wh… What?" Colette murmured. Lloyd sheathed his nice shiny new swords and walked into view.

"Hey, Colette. Seems you need me after all," he remarked with a grin.

"Lloyd!" She exclaimed, getting up and throwing her arms around him. Genis cried out, shocked but happy, and ran forwards to join in hugging his best friend.

"However did you manage to escape the Ranch?" Raine asked, and Kratos walked up then.

_What is Forcystus playing at? That explains the Rheaird… _He thought. _I suppose Lloyd would… He's so like Anna…_

"I… Escaped," he replied eventually. "Stole a Rheaird and one of these awesome little packing deelies, look!" He got the Wing Pack out. Kratos went up to him and took it without a word. "H-hey!" Lloyd complained, but before he could protest further, Noishe accosted him, pinning him to the floor and licking him, whining happily. "Hey, Noishe. You missed me?" Lloyd asked, grinning.

"I wanted to go back for you," Colette murmured. "But Kratos and the Professor said…"

"The Journey of Regeneration comes first. It should've done, Colette. I can handle myself!" Lloyd replied. Genis made some comment to the contrary, and Lloyd glared at him. Kratos opened the wing pack.

"…Hm," he murmured, seeing the Rheaird. Raine instantly pounced on it.

"This is amazing!" She declared. "This is clearly magitechnology! Lloyd, you simply must let me study it!" Lloyd ran his hand through his hair with chagrin.

"Well, so long as you don't damage it," he replied. "It's the only one I've got, and I'd like it working. Its controls are all written in angelic, and it's not exactly got a wonderful amount of fuel left in it, though…" Kratos gave him a long look.

"And you're saying that a Grand Cardinal just let you walk out of a Ranch?" He asked, his voice full of disbelief. "Without any sort of retaliation?" Lloyd stood up, pushing Noishe off him.

"Yeah," he replied. "I'd been planning." Kratos nodded slightly.

"I… See," he murmured. "Are you certain he hasn't put a tracker on you? He could be using you to get to Colette, having anticipated this." Colette gasped, horrified, but Lloyd shook his head emphatically.

"He said the Desians don't want to kill the Chosen," he replied. "Besides, I trust Forcystus. He's… He's different."

"You _trust_ a Desian?" Genis repeated, shocked. "But… He's a half-elf!" Raine looked up from where she was obsessing over the Rheaird. Lloyd shrugged.

"So?" He replied. "Dwarven Vow #46! Judge by character, not appearance!" Genis smiled weakly.

"Yeah… Of course…" He murmured, glancing back at Raine, who had gone back to trying to take the Rheaird apart without actually taking it apart.

"I would be cautious before placing your trust in him. He is likely using you," Kratos told Lloyd firmly. "Raine, we haven't the time…" Raine looked disappointed, but moved away from the Rheaird as Kratos glanced at the Wing Pack and held it up; trying to give an impression that he was making an educated guess of how it worked. The Rheaird disappeared into it, and he handed it to Lloyd, who pocketed it and shook his head.

"He isn't," he replied. "I know he isn't!" Kratos raised his eyebrows, as if asking for proof. "He… He's not like the others." Lloyd bit his lip, considering his options. "He… Kinda… Tried to keep me safe," he admitted. Kratos' eyes widened, and Colette looked confused..

"But why would he?," she asked. "He's a Desian… You're human. And… And he's been feeding you lies! The last Chosen was killed by Desians!" Lloyd looked at her and sighed.

"It's complicated," he admitted. "But… I got the feeling he was telling the truth… That's all."

"Even so, be careful with what you believe," Raine advised. "It could all have been a ploy."

"Why bother when he could've just treated me like the rest?" Lloyd asked. "I'd've still tried to escape. He could've got more out of me by beating me, but he… Stopped them from doing it." He bit his lip. "I trust him and that's not gonna change."

"I… See…" Kratos murmured. "We have no time for this, anyway. Lloyd, I suppose we have no choice but to take you along."

"Some good telling me to stay at home like a good boy did me," the teen shot at Kratos, under his breath, and Kratos shook his head slowly.

"We are going to Hakonesia Peak. Supposedly there is a record there, written by Spiritua. We are going to attempt to procure it to help with the journey, since Remiel's words are often cryptic." A ghost of a frown touched Lloyd's face.

_Remiel. An angel of Cruxis. Yggdrasill is…_ He blinked, the frown vanishing. Remiel was no Yggdrasill. Remiel was Colette's father… Colette had an angel for a father. He wondered absently what Forcystus would have to say if he heard that.

* * *

Lloyd walked with Genis and Colette as they continued on to Hakonesia Peak, telling the pair of them about the Ranch. He decided to leave out what Forcystus had said about Tethe'alla and Cruxis, purely because the latter would likely upset Colette and he didn't think they'd believe him about the first. He did tell them all about what the Ranch did, making the Exspheres, and about the Grand Cardinals that he had seen. He told them what Forcystus had told them about Magnius and Rodyle, but he didn't actually know anything, and he did let them know that he was just saying Forcystus' opinion.

"Oh, and Forcystus printed this for me!" He added as an afterthought, getting out his printout about his mother. "It's my mom." Colette and Genis took it, and Kratos looked over for a second. "She was at Kvar's Ranch. I hate Kvar. He's creepy and…" He trailed off. He hadn't mentioned any of the pet comments to them. It was too embarrassing. "He hurt Forcystus, too. Hit him. Forcystus kicked him out, and good on him too."

"She's got your hair colour," Colette murmured. Lloyd nodded.

"Yep. But not my eyes. I figured I must get them from my dad."

"Did he know anything about your dad?" Genis asked. Kratos watched them carefully then, and Raine shook her head with a slight smile. Lloyd shook his head.

"No. Oh, but he wasn't held at a Ranch. I think he broke my mom out of the Asgard Ranch," he replied. "'Cause Kvar would never have let her go. Forcystus says he doesn't like the word 'escape' to exist in his vocabulary. He's a right Ba…d guy." He changed what he had been about to say for Colette's benefit, and Raine saw a slight smile touch Kratos' face as the mercenary looked away.

"…Children," he murmured. "Somewhere, they lose that innocence. Somehow…" Raine gave him a careful look.

"Do you regret leaving him?" She asked. "Because, it meant he was taken to the Ranch. If I'd known that would result, I…" Kratos shook his head slowly.

"No… We weren't to know. And Lloyd is a strong boy. It seems the Desians treated him differently… I'll ask Lloyd about it, but he does not seem to be too badly affected by it." Raine made a soft noise of agreement under her breath.

"Perhaps…" She murmured. _I still think we should have gone back, even if I didn't say as much… how can you be so cold as to not care about a young boy held captive? By Desians? Lloyd… Doesn't hate half-elves… So perhaps he hasn't suffered, but… If he had…_

* * *

They soon arrived at the Peak. Lloyd asked about the soldiers, and Genis explained that you needed a pass to get through. Lloyd shrugged and murmured something about a Rheaird, but Kratos put a hand on his shoulder and cautioned him, directing him towards the house. Lloyd jerked away from him irritably.

"I know, I'm going, already!" He protested, making Colette laugh softly.

The man in the house was anything but friendly.

"If you want a Road Pass, that's 100,000,000 Gald," he told them bluntly.

"That's extortionate!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"I see… You're working with the tourist company," Raine remarked. Lloyd frowned, not knowing about the existence of any company, but the man glared at her.

"Well, if you don't want one, get out," he muttered.

"Actually, we've come about the book of Spiritua's journey that was taken from the Palmacosta government building and supposedly sold to you. Do you know anything about it?" Raine asked. Lloyd looked at Kratos questioningly, but the swordsman just put a warning hand on Lloyd's shoulder, telling him to stay quiet.

"Ah, no, you misunderstand," the man replied. "You see, the Chosen of Mana herself gave me this book at a very generous price." Lloyd frowned, but Kratos' grip tightened on his shoulder before he protested.

"May we see it?" Kratos asked. The man glared.

"No! Why I should I let you look at it? You'll get your filthy hands all over it and ruin it, I dare say!"

"But Colette is the Cho-" Genis started, exactly what Lloyd had wanted to say, but Raine hit him before he could finish.

"Shush," she scolded him. "Please. We are devout followers of the journey of Regeneration, and Colette is versed in the language of the Angels. To be allowed to view such a priceless artefact would be a great honour." The man looked as though he was considering it.

"…Well…" He murmured. "There's something I've been wanting for a long time – The Spiritua statue on display at Palmacosta's House of Salvation. Bring me that, and I'll let the maiden and the beauty have a look at it." Lloyd glared.

"You're a horrible person," he spat. "Like it costs you anything to let us have a look at it!" Kratos' grip tightened to the point where it made Lloyd wince.

"So? Either bring me the statue or skedaddle!" The man replied, dismissing them with a wave of his hand. Lloyd glared at Kratos, who shook his head in warning and let go of Lloyd's shoulder.

As they left, there was a large number of people gathered outside.

"What's going on?" Lloyd wondered aloud. One of the people turned.

"Oh, they say there's Desians headed for Palmacosta. I'd stay out of the area for a while," he told them.

"They say that Magnius is with them," a woman added.

"Wh-what?" Lloyd murmured. _Please don't let Forcystus be involved…_ "We… We have to help the town out!" Lloyd decided. Kratos sighed.

"…Stubborn," he murmured.

"Yeah! We have to go back!" Genis agreed. "Right, sis?" Raine looked dubious.

"…It would be dangerous to expose Colette to the Desians… However, I do agree that we cannot just abandon the people of Palmacosta," she agreed eventually. Kratos shrugged slightly.

"Very well. To Palmacosta," he replied, walking away. Lloyd glanced at Genis, who shrugged.

"He's always like that," he whispered to Lloyd, who laughed.

* * *

**A/N - **Lloyd's finally escaped! But don't think this is the last we'll hear of our turquoise-haired friend, not at all. R&R ^^


	14. Book 2, Chapter 1: Desians in Palmacosta

**Hi.**

First of all, I must apologise for just how much (in my opinion) this chapter sucks. I'm working, I've been rather ill and I have Chemistry Coursework to do that's worth a third of my A-level. Whilst it's no excuse, the chapter _was_ a little rushed. I might (if I have time) go back and make it better in the future.

**Don't worry. Forcystus IS in this chapter.**

And OhMyGod I do not understand half of what I'm doing for my Chemistry. I am going to fail But I will try to keep updating. And _better_ (GAH!) than this chapter.

That said, don't let my general angsty-emo-despairing mood put you off. ^^

Book 2! Yaaaay!

Does the title give anything away? XD

* * *

**Book Two: Water and Wind**

**Chapter one: Desians in Palmacosta**

Colette and Genis rode on Noishe, who was happy to take them, and Lloyd got the Rheaird out for Raine, he himself running alongside Kratos, who told him it would be a long run and he'd better be prepared. Lloyd, determined to prove himself, had simply agreed. As they approached Palmacosta, he was sorely regretting it, wondering how Kratos could possibly run all that way and not show the smallest amount of tiredness.

"…That… Was longer… Than I expected…" He panted as he put the Rheaird back in the Wing Pack. Kratos gave him a look.

"…You kept up," he murmured, not sounding impressed, but not sounding scolding either. Lloyd glared at him as they made their way into the town, Noishe staying outside and whining.

They walked to the main square, Lloyd glancing around him at the scenery of Palmacosta as they went. The town was new to him, and large too. In the square, some Desians had set up a gallows, and a human woman had a rope around her neck.

"Cacao!" Colette exclaimed, horrified. Lloyd recoiled as though he'd been bitten.

"That's barbaric!" He exclaimed, horrified.

"Out of the way! Lord Magnius approaches!" A Desian called out, and a large half-elf with flame-red hair walked up. Lloyd could tell just from those few seconds that this Desian was definitely different to Forcystus, and also that he was clearly Grand Cardinal material. He carried himself with an easy self-confidence that bordered on the cocky; he wore an imposing piece of magitechnology on his back that Lloyd supposed would turn into something much larger and equally imposing. His eyes regarded the humans of the town with nothing but contempt and distaste.

"…Magnius…" He murmured. The one Cardinal he hadn't had the pleasure of meeting.

There were a few gasps and cries of terror from the intimidated crowd, one man doing what Lloyd had made an easy habit of during his time in the Ranch and forgetting to use a title. With a snarl, the Desian turned on him, hauling him up by the collar like he was diseased.

"That's _Lord_ Magnius, vermin!" He spat, snapping his neck instantly with a sickeningly easy jerk of his hand. Lloyd winced at the sound. Colette gasped as the man was thrown to the floor, landing like a rag doll, dead and beyond salvation. Lloyd paled.

_If Forcystus had been like that…_ He thought, swallowing nervously. How different they all were! But the one thing, the thing that stood out above all the other little petty differences, was that Forcystus seemed to be the only one amongst them with anything resembling a conscience.

"This woman defied the wishes of the great Lord Magnius!" A Desian announced, gesturing towards the woman on the gallows. Lloyd found it very hard to believe that someone so frail and sad-looking could have in any way been an offender. "Therefore, while the designated death count has been exceeded, Lord Magnius has allowed us to carry out this woman's execution!" Lloyd gritted his teeth in anger. What gave them the right to take lives like this? Outside the Ranch, no less!

"That's… Disgusting, that's…" He growled. "Why aren't the city militia doing anything about this? Surely the city has a militia!" He glanced around, checking for signs of soldiers. Not one. Kratos gave him an unreadable look.

"They're all out training right now," a townsperson told Lloyd sadly as a rope was lowered around Cacao's neck. Lloyd hissed through his teeth.

"I cannot believe that a city militia would be so stupid as to leave the town undefended," he muttered. "This is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! If this were-" He cut himself off and piped down, biting his lip. On no account mention the Ranch.

"The Desians waited for this opportunity… Slimy jerks!" Genis exclaimed angrily, watching the gallows with a look of frustrated anger. Lloyd glared too, but at Magnius, one hand going to his sword.

"Mom!" A girl about Lloyd's age ran up, tears in her eyes and desperation clear on her face. The Desians blocked her way, looking as though they'd rather not touch her.

"Interfere, and we'll leave you begging for death," one told her, sneering. "Inferior maggot…" Lloyd drew a sword at the insult. Nobody insulted his race like that, nobody could abuse people like they were doing and get away with it… Yes, Forcystus had told him to forget, to leave it behind, but how could he ignore it when it was happening right in front of him?

He couldn't.

"Governor-General Dorr will never let you get away with this!" The girl screamed, running against their arm-blockade and desperately trying to reach the woman on the gallows. Her mother, perhaps?

"Dorr?" Magnius repeated with a derisive laugh, a cold, scheming look in his eyes. "Don't get your hopes up…" He trailed off and stopped as a stone was thrown at him, hitting him on the arm. It was a poor throw by all means, but Lloyd appreciated the interruption. It let him draw his second sword.

"Careful," Kratos told him softly, a cautioning hand in his shoulder. "Don't do anything you'll regret."

"I don't intend to," Lloyd growled. "I can't see myself regretting any course of action besides doing nothing, personally." Kratos sighed in resignation.

"Foolish…" He murmured. The Desian at the gallows froze in the action of pulling the gallows lever, unable to believe what he'd seen. Those on the floor also took a few seconds to get past the shock. "You… You little vermin!" Magnius spat, approaching the young boy who had thrown the offending stone, hand out. The intent was clear. He cared as much for the child's life as he did for the man who had been so carelessly killed and tossed aside, he viewed all of them as nothing but vermin, animals. They were not people to him. Not like they were to Forcystus. Lloyd's gaze hardened, and he shook himself free of Kratos and charged.

"Demon Fang!" He cried, throwing his energy forwards through the blades, slamming the light into Magnius. The Cardinal staggered back slightly, outraged.

"Lloyd!" Raine cried, horrified. "Don't incite the Desians!"

"This isn't Iselia. They don't have a non-aggression treaty," Lloyd muttered, jaw set. If Magnius were here alone, did that mean that Forcystus had already returned to Iselia? He hoped so… "The Desians will just do as they please here! They've already killed one man! How can you say you're on a journey of regeneration if we can't even save these people here… The people right in front of us?" He demanded. A fleeting look appeared on Kratos' face for a second – pride? He shook his head slightly, that wasn't important. Saving the lives of the people around him – especially the woman with the noose around her neck – was.

"Lloyd's right!" Genis agreed suddenly, brandishing his Kendama. "We can't let them do as they wish!" The Cardinal's gaze flicked straight to Lloyd, a look of amusement and triumph in his eyes. Lloyd swallowed. That couldn't be good.

"Ah… So you're Lloyd," Magnius murmured. "L025, I presume? Lord Yggdrasill will reward me handsomely if I bring him to you!" Lloyd froze. Yggdrasill?

"Wh-what do you mean?" He demanded. If Yggdrasill wanted him… What did that mean for Forcystus? No, no, he was an escapee, of course Yggdrasill would want him. Forcystus wouldn't try too hard…

Kratos had almost frozen in shock at the words. Almost. However, years of training himself not to react had helped him stop himself. He would not give himself away.

"Lord Yggdrasill wants your Exsphere, boy, and when I bring it to him, I'll be promoted above Pronyma for sure! Get them!" Magnius declared. Lloyd sighed inwardly. Did all inherently evil people come with a strange desire to reveal their secret motives to the world?

A Sorcerer made to cast a spell, but Genis blocked it expertly with Magic. Lloyd didn't even need to bother raising his swords, much to the sorcerer's dismay.

"Amateurs," Genis declared, a victorious look on his face. Lloyd grinned at him. A high five was clearly on the horizon.

"Worthless dogs!" Magnius spat, looking like he wanted to boil Lloyd in hot oil. "Deal with the woman!" The Desian at the gallows nodded, going for the lever.

"No!" Colette cried, horrified, and she threw a Chakram at the rope, cutting it in two so Cacao fell to wooden floor. Before Magnius could protest, Kratos had his sword at his throat.

"You will respect the will of the Chosen," he snapped. Lloyd glanced from him to Magnius.

"_Desians don't kill the Chosen, they harass her. It promotes the growth of the Cruxis Crystal…_" All around them, the citizens of the town were talking in awed voices about Colette. Lloyd looked from Colette, to Kratos, to Magnius, seeing the look of what seemed like awed recognition… Perhaps even fear? In the Cardinal's face.

"Do you all realise what you're doing?" Raine demanded of them. "If you aren't careful, this village will become another Iselia."

_But Forcystus didn't want what occurred there to occur. Magnius wants this,_ Lloyd thought. "I know," he murmured. "And… I won't let it happen again. I'll… I'll destroy them all, the entire Ranch!" He didn't care about Forcystus' words any more. This was too much, too much. He could not sit by and let people suffer whilst he watched! With any luck, Forcystus would be back at Iselia anyway. He didn't need to know…

"That's insanity," Raine remarked frankly. Lloyd's grip on his swords tightened.

"…They're only after me," he murmured. _At least, they are now. _"And besides…" He turned to look at Colette, who still had her chakrams in hand. "We have Colette on our side! The Chosen who will regenerate the world! Right, Colette?" Colette smiled brightly, not worried about the surrounding Desians.

"Yep!" She agreed happily. Lloyd smiled back at her. How could this be evil?

The townspeople set up muttering again – Lloyd couldn't help but be reminded of when Forcystus had yelled at the prisoners of the Ranch.

"Grr… I've had enough of this crap! Put an end to them!" Magnius demanded. Lloyd frowned. That wasn't right! They weren't meant to go after Colette! Forcystus had specifically stated that they would leave Colette alive, had called him foolish for believing otherwise. Had he been lying?

He slashed out at a Desian who tried to go for Colette as Kratos killed the one closest to him, then followed through with a stab through the chest of the one remaining Desian.

_Just like Forcystus taught me._

* * *

Raine went over to the woman who had nearly been hung, helping her up, and Kratos glanced at Lloyd, apparently satisfied with the way he had fought.

"…I'll have to teach you some defensive techniques, in case we come up against any stronger Desians," he murmured. Lloyd shook his head.

"Nah, I'm fine. Forcystus taught me Guardian," he replied, smiling broadly. Kratos frowned.

"…Forcystus did, did he?" He murmured. Lloyd bit his lip at the slip.

_Stupid, stupid, _he scolded himself. He had to _forget_ Forcystus… But how could he, after all the half-elf had done for him?

"…Very well. So long as you do not prove to be a liability," Kratos murmured, letting the matter slide. Genis and Colette were talking with the girl – they had clearly met her before. Raine had healed the woman, and she was on her feet.

"Allow me to help you back to your home," Raine offered. "I am sure you've been caused a lot of distress." Cacao – at least, Lloyd presumed it was Cacao – nodded gratefully, her eyes weary and worn, and they all filed back to her house, a store along the waterfront.

"Thank you so much!" The girl – Lloyd had been told her name was Chocolat – told them all. "I don't know what I would've done if they'd murdered my mom as well…"

"As well?" Lloyd asked. Did the Desians have no respect for human life at all? Lloyd shook his head swiftly to clear it. Of _course_ they didn't, they were Desians. Forcystus was a rare exception. Cacao sighed.

"My husband volunteered for the town's army… He was killed by Desians," she explained softly, her voice tired and heavy. "And my mother… was taken to the Ranch." Lloyd winced. That was not a death he would wish on anyone, not now he knew what went on.

He would have to take care to keep the silence he had promised.

"Grandma was the one who founded our shop," Chocolat added. Lloyd's breath caught in his throat. The shop was called Marble's. Could it be…?

_No. Please no,_ he thought. _It was bad enough that I was the cause of all that death at Iselia… Please not here, too… _Did the Desians have nothing better to do than tear families apart, to destroy the peace that so vainly tried to exist?

"Well, I'd better go," Chocolat continued, upbeat despite the recent situation. "It's almost time for the next Asgard Pilgrimage."

"…Asgard Pilgrimage?" Lloyd asked, nonplussed.

"I work at the Church of Martel travel agency," Chocolat explained. "Not that I believe in Martel or anything."

"Chocolat!" Her mother protested, clearly aghast, although by the look on her face it was a common argument. Lloyd thought about Forcystus' words: _I make a point of not believing in lies…_

"Who can really say whether a Divine being exists or not?" He replied. "I mean, the Chosen save Sylvarant by going to Martel. But she could just be… I'm not sure, a metaphor, maybe?"

"Do you even know what one of those is?" Genis asked wryly. Lloyd glared.

"I know, I know," Chocolat murmured. "But Martel didn't save Grandma or dad. How can we believe in a Goddess that sleeps while we suffer?" Colette started on one of her moral rants, and Lloyd shook his head slowly. _"I won't deny that she existed… Exists, even, in a… Special way…"_ He didn't get it. What _was _Martel? He'd never had the opportunity to think about it in the Ranch, he'd been too occupied with thoughts of escape, but… Was everything he believed in really lies? And then again, Raine had told him not to trust Forcystus, and it was entirely possible that he _had_ just been stringing him along, but… What would have been the point? Forcystus had nothing to gain by lying to him, telling him he believed lies certainly hadn't helped to win his trust. He had taught him, treated him kindly, helped him to learn. If it had just been to make him drop his guard, he would have taken him to Yggdrasill rather than letting him go.

No, he trusted Forcystus, even if he didn't understand yet.

"Would anyone really want to go travelling after what just happened here?" He remarked absently. It seemed like a bit of a no-brainer to him. Kratos glanced at him, his eyes unreadable..

"More now than ever, people with… And without… Faith need to go on a journey of salvation," he murmured. "It gives them hope. The will to live on despite all that may happen around them." Chocolat nodded eagerly.

"Thank you all very much for saving my mom!" She told them, running out of the house with a bounce in her step. Lloyd looked a bit confused.

"…It makes no sense," he murmured. "Why would they…" Kratos sighed softly.

"…Come. We have a statue to retrieve," he told them all curtly. Lloyd glanced at him, irked.

_He has a real knack for interrupting my thoughts…_ He decided, irritated.

* * *

They walked to the House of Salvation, and when they got there, Lloyd was telling Colette and Genis about the Magic Lens he had, in a low voice so Raine didn't hear.

"I… Stole it from him," he told them eagerly. "It's focused on his signal. Even if he's not there, if you hold it up to the light it shows you where he is. It's come in pretty handy at times. I used it to spy on him when he was… In a meeting." _Forcystus kneeling, treated like a dog, Yggdrasill's cold, harsh laugh…_

"Bet that irritated him," Genis remarked with a laugh as they waked in. "Trust you to get one up on a Desian." Lloyd laughed.

"Yeah, he regretted giving it to me a few times," he agreed. Kratos gave him a harsh look at that which silenced him instantly, although he glared sullenly at the mercenary for quite a while afterwards.

They went up to the High Priest, and Kratos and Raine explained the situation to him.

"You… Want the Spiritua statue?" He repeated, scratching his head absently. He seemed a little thrown by the brazen request.

"I know it's a bit forward, but it's for the World Regeneration!" Lloyd told him hopefully. Colette smiled encouragingly at the Priest. Colette beamed on cue, her best 'I'm going to regenerate the world to make everyone happy!' face.

"…Very well," the High Priest agreed reluctantly, turning to the junior Priest. "Would you bring it over here, please?" He requested. However, the Priest behind him looked rather embarrassed, running a hand through his hair as he debated what to say.

"M-my apologies… Th-this statue is… A fake I had placed here," he mumbled eventually, eyes fixed firmly on the floor. "I… Lost the real statue a year ago, on a pilgrimage…" The High Priest glared daggers at him, and he had the good grace to look sheepish. Lloyd frowned.

"Why would you take a statue on a pilga… Journey?" He asked. "Wouldn't it be, like, a bit heavy? That one looks pretty big."

"The halo is made of diamond…" The High Priest explained with a sigh. "It's too valuable to leave unattended…"

"I… I was so moved by the geyser… I didn't even realise I'd dropped it until it had been carried over to the rocks on the other side… Um… So I visited a dwarf in Iselia and had him make a copy… So far no-one's noticed, but…" The Junior Priest added in a small voice.

"Ah, that'll be Dirk," Genis replied knowingly. Raine nodded, going over and examining the statue closely, with a magnifying glass that she had produced from somewhere within her robes.

"It's very good work, just like I'd expect from Dirk," she agreed, running one hand over the faux diamond halo.

"…Dad, just what sort of work are you doing?" Lloyd wondered aloud, exasperated. Forging statues for careless priests? What next?

None of them saw the brief look of hurt and regret that crossed Kratos' face for barely a second.

"…We should go," he decided sharply, before there was any more talk of Dirk. "Will the fake fool the old man, do you think?" Raine studied the statue a little more, then shook her head.

"…Unlikely," she replied. "Despite being of very high quality, anyone with a collector's eye could see that the diamond on the halo is fake with a little close examination. Also, the stone it is carved from is-"

"So no," Lloyd surmised hurriedly. "What can we do, then?"

"Um, um…" Colette started. "We could always just… Go get the real one."

"Y-You want t-to go all the w-way out there… t-to that t-tiny little island?" Raine exclaimed, horrified. The expression on her face was one of utter dread. Lloyd frowned, thinking hard.

"Wow, I can see the cogs working," Genis remarked teasingly.

"It's a Seal," he murmured suddenly. The others looked at him, Kratos with a sceptical look on his face, wondering what exactly Forcystus had been telling him. "Er, well… The problem is the geyser, really," he corrected hastily. "That's boiling water, right? I'll pass on being hit with that, I think." True, it didn't sound particularly pleasant. Forcystus' spells had hurt badly enough, and they were usually only wind.

"Oh, my!" Raine exclaimed, looking positively delighted. "You remembered that a geyser erupts boiling water! I'm so proud of you!" She looked almost ready to hug him. Lloyd looked at the ground, running one hand through his hair in embarrassment.

"You're amazing, Lloyd," Colette agreed happily. Lloyd grinned, still a little embarrassed.

"Well, of course. Everyone knows that," he replied knowingly.

"…I bet you just guessed," Genis whispered in his ear as they started to walk out. Lloyd glared at him.

"Sh-shut up, Genis!" He protested.

"…The only problem is getting past the water. The eruption cycle of the geyser itself is quite short, I've heard," Kratos remarked. Raine nodded, producing a notepad/

"Nah, we can just have Genis freeze it with magic, right, Genis?" Lloyd replied, cutting Raine off with ease, as if the solution were obvious.

"M-me?" Genis repeated, not having expected that. Lloyd laughed. "Well, uh, I'll try… But you'd better be grateful!" He told Lloyd sternly. Lloyd ruffled his hair happily.

"Hey, Genis, Dwarven vow #1!" Lloyd reminded him. "Let's all work together for a peaceful world! It's up to you!" Genis glared and looked about ready to demonstrate his magical capabilities on Lloyd. Colette only saved him by a well-timed intervention.

"Hey, Lloyd, show me the Magic Lens," she piped up, looking from Genis to Lloyd with worry. "There's enough light out here, right?" Lloyd thought about it, glancing at the sun. having only tested it in artificial light, he wasn't entirely sure.

"Uh, sure, I guess…" He decided, getting it out of his pocket. His fingers brushed the feather, and he sighed softly before holding the Lens up to the light. Forcystus had changed his view of the world. "It'll just be the Ranch, though. There's not that much to see. All corridors and computers and surveillance, nothing much interesting…" He trailed off as the Lens showed nothing like what he was expecting.

"Where's that?" Genis wondered aloud. "Doesn't look like a Ranch to me. It's just all dark." Lloyd frowned, looking at Forcystus' prone figure.

"He's been knocked out?" He murmured, concerned. If something had happened to Forcystus because of him… Kratos and Raine paused and turned at the sound.

"Don't dawdle," Kratos snapped at them, desire for haste clear in his voice, not to mention wanting to avoid unnecessary conflicts with Desians.

"It's a prison! Magnius… That filthy Desian scumbag!" Lloyd yelled out, forgetting his vow to himself not to get too open about his friendship with Forcystus and making all the people in the area turn and look at him, confused.

"Looks like… Palmacosta…" Genis murmured. "Hey, they got a Desian. Good on them."

"No! I won't let them do that! Grr… Forcystus has done nothing wrong!" Lloyd exclaimed. Kratos raised his eyebrows, and Lloyd bit his lip, regretting his outburst.

"Does the Ranch not count, then?" Genis pointed out wryly. Lloyd's eyes narrowed.

"I've got to save him. He saved me, from Kvar, from Pronyma, from Yggdrasill. It's about time I returned the favour," he vowed angrily. Kratos frowned..

_Lord Yggdrasill wants him?_ He thought. _That can't be good… _

"You'd save a _Desian_?" Genis asked dubiously. Lloyd nodded firmly.

"I don't care what you guys think," he muttered. "I owe him. And I'm not going to let anyone kill him! He's… He did a lot for me." He bit his lip and looked away. "More than you know." Genis sighed.

"Well…" He murmured, unsure how to formulate a sentence in light of that information.

"You'll only get yourself into trouble if you go on your own," Kratos started suddenly. "We will accompany you. If the Chosen has no objections?" Colette shook her head mutely, overcome by Genis' affliction.

"…Kratos?" Lloyd asked, confused. That was completely unlike the image of Kratos he had in his head. Judging by the looks on the other people's faces, it was unusual in their opinions, too.

"A short trip back to Palmacosta will do us no harm," he murmured. "If you are injured or killed, it will only cause the Chosen distress."

"_We harass the Chosen because stress promotes the growth of the Cruxis Crystal…"_

Lloyd shook his head. _Don't think about that!_

"Let's go!" He decided with a nod, running off in the direction of Palmacosta.

* * *

When they got there, they ran into the square, where a large crowd of people had gathered, and a much more makeshift gallows had been set up. Forcystus, now cannon-less, was on the platform, unresisting.

"Forcystus!" Lloyd cried out, horrified, and the Desian opened his eyes and frowned.

"You know this Desian?" A townsperson asked, clearly disgusted.

"Why would the _Chosen_ associate with Desians?" Another one murmured.

"Lloyd… Leave," Forcystus murmured. One of the men on the gallows hit him.

"Silence, Desian scum!" He spat.

"No! You've got this all wrong!" Lloyd insisted, running over and getting up on the gallows. "He's… He's not a Desian!" He saw Kratos raise his eyebrows, and ignored it. When Dwarven Vows conflict, choose the one most favourable to you. Lloyd decided that should be Vow #108.

"Governor-General Dorr's army captured him! He is clearly a Desian!" One of the militia disagreed.

"What proof have you? Just because he's a half-elf doesn't automatically make him a Desian!" Lloyd protested, turning to look at Forcystus.

"…Magnius," he murmured, looking him in the eye, making Lloyd's gaze harden.

"I can vouch for him," he told the people of Palmacosta. "I swear. Please, set him free. If you do, I… I'll give you a Desian in return. I'll give you Magnius." The group looked at him in shock, and more soldiers ran into the square then. "I'll destroy the Palmacosta Ranch!" Lloyd promised. "I swear. On my honour."

"…Lloyd…" Forcystus murmured, shaking his head slowly. "…Typical of Anna's son." Lloyd glanced at him and smiled slightly.

"Hey, I owe you. You've saved me three times, I've only saved you once," he replied. "Do you agree?"

"You destroy the Ranch and we'll turn him over to you," the captain of the guard agreed.

"Chosen One!" One of the group of soldiers who had just entered the square started. Colette turned.

"Oh, that's me!" She observed. Lloyd shook his head slowly.

"We humbly ask for your assistance," one of them started. "A Church of Martel tour guide has been kidnapped. We would carry out the rescue ourselves, but our forces are… Lacking currently, so we beg for your assistance to rescue her whilst we cause a distraction." Lloyd jumped down from the gallows and walked over.

"I'll do one better," he murmured. "We'll rescue them all. And we will destroy the Ranch!"

"Lloyd…" Kratos cautioned.

"Who is it?" Colette asked. "Who did they take?" The soldiers looked at one another.

"Chocolat," one of them replied eventually, his voice full of sadness. Colette cried out in distress.

"Please, we have to help her!" She begged Kratos and Raine. Kratos nodded slowly.

"…If it is your wish, Chosen," he replied eventually. "I doubt we will be able to dissuade Lloyd from his… Rather headstrong promise, anyway."

"…Forgive me, Lord Aurion," Forcystus whispered, his voice almost inaudible, but Kratos heard it anyway. He glanced up at Forcystus briefly, and Lloyd followed his gaze, confused.

"…If this is where events take us, then we have no choice but to follow. Fate will be fate," he murmured. "And, although it will pose a threat to the Chosen…"

"No! It won't!" Lloyd started up suddenly. "The Desians won't kill her!" Forcystus shut his eyes, despairing. "Please… Trust me. Unless Magnius is more of a fool that he seems… Just please." Kratos looked at Raine, who sighed.

"…It seems we have little choice," she replied. "We will go to the Ranch." Colette and Lloyd both grinned.

"…The Chosen will save us from the Desians…" One citizen murmured as Forcystus was cut down and kicked. The half-elf took it without a sound. Kratos put a hand on Lloyd's shoulder to stop him going to Forcystus' aid.

"Leave it. You were lucky to get them to agree. Don't push your luck," he murmured. Lloyd nodded sadly, watching as Forcystus was dragged off.

"…It's my fault," he murmured. "I wondered why Magnius said Yggdrasill and not Forcystus. They must have found out he helped me escape… And Since Kvar's taken such a… Liking to me and Yggdrasill's been interested in 'angelic signatures' or some crap like that…" He sighed. "I'm sorry, Forcystus…"

"Don't blame yourself," Kratos snapped. "He took you to the Ranch; he brought it upon himself, orders from above or not. This situation could not have been prevented." Lloyd took a step back, shocked by Kratos' harshness.

"I… I'm sorry…" He murmured, shock and remittance clear in his voice. Kratos sighed, as though regretting his sudden words.

"…We must go to the Ranch, since both the situation and your foolhardiness have led us there," he murmured. "Speed is of the essence, especially where Chocolat is concerned." Lloyd nodded.

"…Thanks, Kratos," he murmured. "For sticking up for me." Kratos sighed.

"…You're a headstrong boy. But it can't be helped. Let us go," he replied, turning and leaving, the others following close behind.

* * *

**A/N - **And this chapter even has pagebreaks! Which, might I add, 's formatting deleted. So I had to put them in again. The things I do for you guys... Feel special. ^^

I must find a way to get more Yuan into this story...


	15. Chapter two: A trap, a betrayal

**MEGA-UPDATE YAAAAY!**

*ahem* this chapter is long... Very long. But it gets all the necessary canon out of the way, with a helping of Forcy for good measure. From now on... _things will change_. For the better. Honest.

In other news... GAH, FF,NET, KEEP MY PAGEBREAKS IN FOR ONCE! *ahem*

Has it ever bugged anyone else that whilst enemies dissolve into mana when they die, if any character central to the story perishes, their body remains intact? It _doesn't make sense._ If anyone can come up with an explanation I'd like to hear it ^^

Kirimori - Wow, I'm... Touched that you felt my story was that good ^^ I'll admit that my characterisation isn't perfect ^_^" And wow, 14 chapters straight... Just wow.  
His past will be explained in much greater detail later, including all the reasons for his angelicness, etc., especially in Tethe'alla. A lot of interesting things are planned for Tethe'alla.

Hitoko - They do still apply... If I wrote Shelloyd and ForcyxRaine. I'm still undecided about the others. Suggestions are welcome! ^^

Archeron - ^^ thankies. It'll be a few chapters yet though, but it's before they leave Sylvarant. That's all I'm saying :P

Symphoniafan - I'm glad someone liked it (Heh...). I'm on half term atm, which is why I had enough time to write such a long chapter... And I'm fully recovered! :D

bdd - thanks! :D

**

* * *

**Chapter two: A trap, a betrayal, and Forcystus

They encountered only a few monsters during the walk, and Lloyd and Kratos took care of them in minimal time, with barely any need of support from Genis and Raine. Kratos made a comment or two about Lloyd's sword skills, making Lloyd get a little angry and snap at the mercenary for insulting Forcystus and tell him that they'd served him just fine against a fairly powerful Renegade. Kratos had simply laughed and told him not to get overconfident. Lloyd, consequently, had fought even harder to try and prove himself to the swordsman.

The group ran into Neil as they approached the Ranch. He was stood just off the path in the trees, wringing his hands in a nervous way and generally looking unhappy.

"Chosen!" He called as loudly as he dared, attracting their attention. The group went over. "Please… Turn back," he begged. "I know you are concerned about Chocolat, but…"

"We're not turning back," Lloyd cut in defiantly. "This isn't just about Chocolat. I have to do this. For a friend." Neil sighed softly, still looking highly uncomfortable.

"I know that… This will sound a little… Odd, but…" He mumbled. "Well, you may have been promised Militia help, but…"

"Is something up with the militia?" Genis asked, concerned. "Has there been an attack?" Neil shook his head. He seemed white, and Lloyd could see that he was having to fight an internal battle. He'd seen the look often enough on Forcystus.

"No, no, nothing like that… But…" Neil tried, biting his lip. Kratos sighed.

"So it is a trap," he murmured. "I was beginning to suspect as much."

"What?" Lloyd asked. "How come?" Kratos sighed softly.

"To begin with, the Desians only took one person," he replied. "If they were truly angry at the insult which had been inflicted upon their leader, they would have simply razed the town. It made no sense. And secondly, Forcystus. The entire situation surrounding him seems senseless." Neil nodded.

"As you say," he agreed mournfully. "The Governor-General… Is working with the Desians of this Ranch." He seemed torn as he said it, as though it pained him to admit it. "He has been, ever since… The death of his wife."

"That still doesn't explain why he would hand over one of his own to humans," Raine remarked. Neil looked at her with a frown.

"You mean the half-elf?" He asked. "Magnius gave him to Dorr as a prisoner shortly before they went to… To hang Cacao. They said he had… 'betrayed their trust'." Lloyd's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"That filthy Desian _scumbag_ Magnius!" He spat. "How could he _do_ something like that? Forcystus was their friend, their ally! He…" He trailed off and shook his head. "This is… All my fault…" Neil gave him a strange look, wringing his hands again.

"But, you see now why it is important for you to leave?" He asked. "The Desians want the Chosen… They have been working with Dorr towards this purpose. They wish to kill her." Colette made a muffled noise of shock, hands over her mouth.

"I see…" Kratos murmured, looking troubled. "This is a troubling development indeed. Have you any idea why Dorr would choose to do this?" Neil shook his head.

"No," he murmured. "Even after Clara, he…" He trailed off, looking at the floor.

"I can't turn back!" Lloyd exclaimed suddenly. "I'm not asking Colette to go, but I can't just turn away! This isn't just for Chocolat! If I don't do this… Forcystus will… Will…"

"Ah, they were going to hang him, weren't they?" Neil murmured. "But… You're human. He's a half-elf. Why do you want to save him?" Lloyd's fingers brushed over the feather in his pocket.

"…It's complicated," he replied eventually. Kratos sighed at that.

"…We will return to Palmacosta for now," he decided evenly. "It is nearly sunset as it is. We will ascertain the whole of the situation from Dorr and return on the morrow." Neil bit his lip.

"If… If you think it wise, I can't stop you," he replied. "But… Please take care, Chosen. You are the light of our world, that gives us hope."

"I'll do my best!" Colette promised. "You don't need to worry. I won't let any Desians stop me from regenerating the world!" Neil seemed somewhat reassured by that.

"I will remain here with a small branch of faithful militiamen," he told them. "If anything untoward happens, you will be the first to know. Good luck… Whatever your reasons."

"Thank you," Lloyd mumbled. If Magnius would really harm Colette… He shook his head. Before he made any decisions, he needed to know what was happening. And for that, he needed to talk to Forcystus.

* * *

Lloyd glanced back at the Ranch as they left the forest and shuddered. The sunset light bathed it in a fitting deep red glow, as though its walls had been washed with blood.

_It gives off an air of evil just by being there,_ he thought morosely. _I wonder why Magnius thought letting one person go worth giving Forcystus to the Palmacostans for? I know what half-elves are like about their own kind…_ He shook his head, glancing up occasionally for monsters. _But he set his troops on Colette before… Unless he expected them to be killed…_Lloyd shuddered at the horror of sending people to die. _Something's up with Magnius. I've got to talk to Forcystus… I've got to find out what. Something here isn't right at all, not in the least Dorr working with Desians… _He broke off his thoughts to stick a giant beetle to the ground with his sword, the thought of Pronyma being left out to be eaten by them on Forcystus' suggestion bringing a slight smile to his lips. _And why didn't Forcystus resist against the Palmacostans? Even bound, he could hold his own with magic, they hadn't gagged him… And I don't see why he wouldn't want to cause a ruckus, because he's a Desian… Even if he is different from the rest. Oh… I hope he didn't mind me telling the people of Palmacosta he wasn't a Desian… _A hawk fell to Lloyd's blade as he jumped and slashed at it, and a quick Sonic Thrust finished off a wolf jumping for him. Kratos finished off a second wolf with a jumping slash, then supported Genis' magic with a Fireball of his own. _And Kratos has elven blood in him somewhere, he has to; _Lloyd thought absently, distracted from his thought train. A Giant Beetle fell to Raine's light magic, and the group continued on. _We've really been back and forth today, _Lloyd thought. The sun was beginning to dip in the sky, and Lloyd was worried. What if they didn't make it to Chocolat in time? He knew how little time it took to process a new Ranch inmate…

A wolf went down to Kratos' sword, they didn't even stop moving. Lloyd could see Palmacosta in the distance, and his danger instinct was running on high. Something really wasn't right. And it wasn't going to end up good for them… Lloyd just hoped that Forcystus wouldn't end up caught in the crossfire.

* * *

There was no trouble apparent in Palmacosta when they arrived, but they wasted no time in going straight into the central square. Forcystus had been lashed up on what seemed to be a wooden cross outside the church, arms out, feet bound together.

"…Lloyd," he murmured, and the group went up to him. "Is something wrong?"

"What have they _done_ to you? That's barbaric!" Lloyd exclaimed. An almost imperceptible frown had touched Kratos' face. Forcystus laughed softly, a slight smile on his face.

"I'm a half-elf," he replied. "I'm scum. What else did you expect?" He sighed. "I presume you have a reason for being here?" He asked eventually. "Aside from getting a kick out of seeing a Desian put in his place?" Lloyd cursed softly.

"Shut up," he told Forcystus, who nodded obligingly. "We've been told by Neil – you know Neil?" Forcystus inclined his head in agreement, staying quiet. Lloyd bit his lip. "Um, we've been told by Neil that the Governor-General is working with the Desians, so we came back to question him about it, and we were wondering if you knew anything, so…" Lloyd trailed off. Forcystus had a sad smile on his face.

"You're such an idiot," he murmured. "Risking destroying the Ranch for me. Didn't I tell you to forget the Desians, forget the Ranches? You never listen, do you?"

"I couldn't just leave you to die!" Lloyd protested. Kratos put one hand on his shoulder, cautioning him.

"Too loud," he told Lloyd softly. "Desian, answer the question." Forcystus sighed, ignoring Lloyd's protests to Kratos.

"Well, I have been to Magnius' Ranch a few times," he replied. "One thing is certain; trying to storm the entrance would not be a wise move. It is heavily guarded, and has surveillance."

"Surveyance?" Colette asked, confused, but Forcystus just shook his head.

"Lloyd will tell you. There is a side entrance, but Magnius has changed the passcode since I last came, you will have to get that out of Dorr I am afraid." He frowned slightly, thinking. "Magnius works by warp portals. I'm sure you can find a radar machine to stick your ring into, Lloyd, and you'll need it to reveal the mana on the transporter. Otherwise you'll be going nowhere. Let's see…" He broke off, thinking. "Once you get into the main teleporter area, go west, west, south, north, north, west, north, west, north. I think that's right. That should get you to the control room at any rate, which is where you'll find Magnius." He sighed. "One thing. Someone has been feeding Magnius lies. He believes Colette forsaken." He looked straight at Kratos when he said that.

"Forsaken?" Colette asked, confused. Forcystus sighed.

"It shouldn't matter. Keep your guard up and you should be fine. You'll need pass cards to activate the main teleporter, but I know what you're like, Lloyd, no doubt you'll kill enough Desians to find them." Lloyd grinned sheepishly. "Do not let Colette get hurt. I cannot stress enough how important that is," Forcystus replied.

"…It is my job to ensure that," Kratos replied. Forcystus looked at him.

"…Perhaps," he replied. "But they will not hesitate to kill her. Damn this… I didn't think Magnius would be so stupid as to allow himself to be deceived, but I have little choice in the matter, I suspect." Kratos laughed softly.

"It does not appear so," he remarked. Lloyd jerked out of his grip.

"Forcystus, I swear I'll get you out of here," he promised. Forcystus laughed.

"I'm just fine right here, Lloyd," he replied. "Unless the town militia decide they want to hang me again. That would be troublesome. But at least it would get me out of trouble with Lord Yggdrasill." He sighed and hung his head.

"Who's Yggdrasill?" Colette asked. Forcystus looked up at her.

"My boss," he replied, quite frankly. Lloyd crossed his arms, irritated.

"I'd quit if I had him as a boss," he replied. Forcystus laughed.

"Some people can't quit, Lloyd. Now get lost before the townsfolk start judging you for associating with a half-elf. Go on, get going." Lloyd nodded.

"We'll be back for you," he promised. Kratos gave him a long look, but started to follow Lloyd eventually.

"...I kept him safe," Forcystus whispered. Kratos paused.

"…I will catch you up," he told Raine, going back over to the half-elf. Raine frowned, but nodded despite that and walked after Lloyd. "…Forcystus. What exactly has occurred that would make Lloyd incur the wrath of Lord Yggdrasill?" Forcystus sighed.

"A mistake on my part, forgive me," he replied softly. "Lloyd has… One of my feathers." Kratos raised an eyebrow.

"One of _yours_, Desian?" He murmured. "Does the bangle not work?"

"I gave it to Lloyd when Kvar visited." Kratos hmmed softly under his breath.

"…Thank you for keeping him safe for me," he murmured. "I did not realise the situation with Lord Yggdrasill was so severe. He will not interfere with the Chosen, however, so perhaps the best situation is that you remain with us. Lloyd seems determined." Forcystus nodded.

"Like father, like son," he murmured with a slight smile. Kratos made an irritated noise, despite the torn look on his face, and he turned and caught up with Lloyd and the others. Forcystus sighed, bowing his head. _Lloyd… Forgive me…_

* * *

The group had snuck in and managed to ascertain that the building was empty when Kratos joined them.

"He'd better not've run off," Lloyd muttered. "I'm not chasing after him this late at night."

"Wait, I think I hear something!" Colette cut in. the group fell silent, straining to listen. "From the basement!" She told them excitedly. "It sounds like people talking."

"I don't hear anything," Lloyd murmured dubiously.

"I hear it," Kratos cut in, as though that decided the matter. "It will do no harm to investigate." He grabbed Lloyd's shoulder as the teen made for the stairs. "To investigate _quietly_," he amended. Lloyd rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," he replied, creeping down the stairs silently. _I'll pretend I'm creeping around the Ranch. Easy,_ he thought, sneaking down into the basement and hiding behind some convenient boxes. Lloyd loved convenient boxes, and convenient empty rooms. They were always there for him when he needed them. Kratos, giving the room a quick cursory glance, stopped just behind Lloyd.

"It's no good," a rough voice demanded. "You were asked to do one simple thing, and you can't do it? Not to mention that you've been giving us less and less Gald!"

"But…" Dorr asked weakly, desperately. "Th-there was a group of people… The Chosen's group… They protested to the people… I thought that, maybe, once you had them, we could use him as a scapegoat, since… Since…"

"Silence!" Lloyd winced at the sound of someone – presumably Dorr – being hit. "There are no 'buts' involved! We told you to kill him, so kill him! Inferior rat…"

"I-if I do this… Will you… Will Clara…" Dorr asked weakly. The Desian made an amused noise.

"Maybe if your next contribution is more fitting, Lord Magnius will consider it," he replied. "You should count yourself lucky that we're even thinking of helping a weakling like you!" There was a pause, and Lloyd bit his lip.

"…I will… Send some men to dispose of the prisoner…" Dorr murmured eventually. "And… I will try to find more money… It's just there are so few places to get it from… The taxes, the church offerings… I don't have any other options, please!" The Desian laughed.

"No need to worry about _him_," he replied. "We'll deal with him on the way out. Just make sure you don't fail us again, else we may have to _cure_ your wife in a different way." Lloyd's grip tightened on his swords.

"He…" He started softly to Kratos, who nodded, and Lloyd jumped out once the Desian started walking and stabbed him clean through the chest. He looked surprised, trying to form words, but fell silently to the floor as Lloyd pulled the sword out. "Nobody hurts my friends," he spat, and the rest of the group ran down at the sound. Dorr gasped.

"You!" He exclaimed. Lloyd turned.

"What, surprised?" He asked absently. Dorr groaned, looking away.

"…There will be hell to pay for this…" He murmured softly. Lloyd glared.

"Like you haven't already done enough evil!" He protested. A little girl, presumably his daughter, peeked out at them from behind Dorr's leg, a surprisingly evil expression on her face.

"Neil… What have you done with Neil?" Dorr demanded. "You… Imposters!"

"Neil is fine," Raine informed him. "He helped us, warned us of the danger _you_ have imposed on us."

"How could you do this to Palmacosta?" Lloyd demanded. "All these people, they trust you! They put their lives in your hands! You're betraying them!"

"I had no choice," Dorr whispered. "I had to… To save my wife…"

"What's wrong with your wife?" Colette asked, worried, glancing around the room.

"Surely it can't be worth co-operating with Desians for!" Lloyd added. Dorr glared at him.

"You hypocrite," he spat. "You save a Desian's life then accuse _me_ of being evil?" He laughed hollowly. "At least I have a reason! Look what they've done to her!" He pulled the cloth away from one of the cages, and the sight made Lloyd's blood run cold. He heard Kratos' sharp intake of breath, and Genis cry out in horror, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. She was an Exbelua.

_An Exsphere victim…_ He thought. _Like… Marble. Oh, Martel, like mom…_ He felt numb. No wonder he had co-operated…

"You cannot save them when they are like that," Kratos murmured softly. "There is no saving them."

"She's… Crying…" Colette whispered, dumbstruck.

"And you call me evil," Dorr muttered, his voice low, sad. "I had no choice!" That snapped Lloyd out of his numbness.

"No!" He exclaimed. "You had every choice! You could have tried to search for a cure!" He rounded on Dorr angrily. "If you thought it could be cured, why bow to them just because they hold the promise of it in front of your heads? Why betray your people for a _chance_?! You should have resigned, taken them somewhere safe and looked _yourself_, rather than abusing the trust of the townspeople!"

"Lloyd," Kratos told him sternly, and he backed down, seething inwardly.

"No wonder you told the townspeople she was dead," Raine murmured. "It is a terrible fate for anyone to suffer…"

"It was fighting the Desians that caused this," Dorr muttered. "If my father hadn't been so militant… Clara, she… She…"

"But you're betraying the city!" Genis protested. Lloyd winced slightly as Kratos put one hand on his shoulder, shaking his head slightly as he started to agree.

"Do not get angry," he told him quietly. "If you get angry, you will say something you will regret." Lloyd made an angry noise. Well, he _felt_ angry.

"This way is better," Dorr declared. "This way is definite." Lloyd winced as Kratos gripped his shoulder tighter to prevent him retorting. "And at least occasionally they let us kill one of them… And you call yourself righteous when you tried to save him? Good riddance to all of them, I say."

"Don't you _dare_," Lloyd hissed. "I made a deal. Him for Magnius! If I defeat Magnius, I can try and find a cure… If there is one. If you even _touch_ him…"

"Lloyd," Kratos cautioned. The girl by Dorr's side laughed.

"That's great!" She remarked. "You think you can save them! There's no way to save them, surely you should know that by _now_." And with that, she produced a dagger and slammed it straight into Dorr's back.

"K-Kilia…?" Dorr choked out, falling to his knees. Lloyd couldn't believe what he was seeing. That little girl… Had she just killed her own father?

"What are you doing?" Genis exclaimed, shocked.

"How could you do that to your own father?" Lloyd demanded as Dorr fell to the floor. Losing both his parents meant that family was important to him. He had had Dirk, true, but he still cherished family. He wished he could have had his parents when he was a child. Strangely, the girl laughed.

"That's a laugh!" She exclaimed, and with a glow of mana the girl disappeared, replaced with a purple demon of some sort. Lloyd recoiled.

_What on earth…?_ He wondered.

"I am a servant of Lady Pronyma, leader of the five Desian Grand Cardinals," the demon explained.

"She's the one who should be left out to be eaten by the Giant Bugs," Lloyd explained to Colette and Genis, making the demon glare at him hatefully.

"…I was merely assigned to watch over the new human cultivation technique developed by Magnius," she continued, hatred and scorn in her voice. "There's no way that a superior half-elf such as I could have a fool of a father like this!" Lloyd could feel anger rising in him, but this time Kratos' grip on his shoulder brought him back to earth, making him glare at the mercenary.

"A… Fool of a father?" Colette repeated, horrified. Lloyd could have sworn he heard Kratos murmured something about Remiel at that point, but he could barely hear it.

"Just look at him!" Kilia offered, indicating the dying Dorr. "He didn't even notice his own daughter was dead, because he was too busy chasing after medicine that doesn't exist to try and save his monster wife!" She laughed, a high-pitched, extremely irritating laugh. Lloyd's fist clenched.

"You…" He hissed, drawing his swords. "She's not the monster! _You_ are!" he charged at her, dimly aware that Kratos had drawn his sword behind him and that Genis was chanting a spell, but all he could think about was inflicting as much pain as possible on the demon who dared to so defile a family. Besides, it was also a way of getting back at Pronyma for casting Leonazium on him. That was still a sore point. At least all Kvar had done was grab him… And try to take him back to Asgard… And kill his mom… And… Lloyd cut off his thought train by Beasting Kilia. _Haha, Pronyma, Leonazium THAT!_ He thought triumphantly as the demon-child picked herself up and tried to cast magic. Kratos interrupted her by slashing at her, she jumped back, but Lloyd was ready for her and met her with a thrust. It went straight through her shoulder, and a tentacle sprouted from her back to knock Lloyd to the floor.

"Lloyd!" Kratos and Colette exclaimed at the same time. Lloyd jumped back to his feet.

"She's got nothing on Forcystus," he replied absently, charging again and hacking off the offending tentacle. Kilia shrieked in anger and tried to hit out at Lloyd, but Kratos blocked it and Lloyd stabbed at her. She fell to the floor.

"This… Can't be…" She panted. "Fine, then… I'll just… Set this monster… Free, and… Let it kill you all!" She clawed the lock off the prison cell, then fell to the floor and slowly dissolved in a glow of mana, defeated. The creature in the cage lurched out, making a noise of confusion that just sounded like a scream of anger.

"…No…" Lloyd murmured. "Not again… Do I have to kill another innocent victim?" Kratos' grip tightened on his sword, a look of determination on his face. It wavered slightly as Clara moved forwards.

"Stop!" Colette cried, rushing forwards, and the creature let out a moan and moved forwards. Lloyd stepped out of its way, as did Raine, and it dragged itself up the stairs and away from them.

_Mom… How did dad feel… When you turned into a creature like that… And he had to cut you down…?_ Lloyd wondered. The blame for his mother's death lay with Kvar, he knew that now. How could he possibly blame his dad…?

"Kilia…" Dorr moaned from the floor. Lloyd knelt by him, trying to avoid the growing pool of blood from the knife wound. Lloyd could tell by the way he looked that it was a mortal wound. "Is she… Really… Dead…?" Lloyd bit his lip, glanced up at the others, then shook his head.

"No… She was an imposter. Your daughter is safe," he replied. Dorr smiled slightly.

"Thank… You…" He whispered. "Your… Name's… Lloyd?" Lloyd nodded.

"Don't waste your energy," Raine told him gently, trying a healing spell. The white light glowed around him, but didn't seem to help. Dorr coughed.

"It's… Alright," he whispered. "Please… Be safe." With a shaking hand, he reached into a pocket and retrieved a card key, holding it up with bloodstained fingers to Lloyd, who took it gently. Dorr's arm fell. "They… Wanted you… For something," he managed. "Don't… Let them… Get you. I'm sorry… For Chocolat. She was… Only bait." He coughed, blood spattering his hands. "The passcode is… 3…3…4…1…" He broke off to have another coughing fit. "And please… Although… It may… Seem selfish…" He took a breath, even the act of breathing hard now. "Please… Save… C-cla… Ra…" His eyes closed with one final sigh, and he lay there. None of them moved for a few seconds, Lloyd unable to process what he had just witnessed.

"…Let's get going," Kratos told them. Lloyd stood, angry.

"How can you just say that?!" He demanded. "After everything that's just…" Kratos turned to look at Lloyd, a strange, haunted look in his eyes.

"Settle down, Lloyd," he told him, walking over. "What is it that we must do now?" Lloyd felt slightly patronised by the fact that Kratos was making him talk through it.

"Rescue Chocolat… And the rest of the prisoners… And defeat Magnius. Then we can destroy the Ranch," he replied eventually. Kratos nodded, smiling slightly.

"Exactly," he replied. Lloyd gave him a strange look, one hand going into his pocket, running his fingers over the feather. It seemed to resonate to his touch. "…You're right," he murmured. "I'm sorry." Kratos looked at the feather, an indecipherable look in his eyes, and he nodded and turned, walking out of the room.

"…My healing arts cannot even save one single life?" Raine murmured to herself, still standing by Dorr's body.

"Professor?" Lloyd asked as the rest of them left the room. Raine shook her head quickly.

"Ah, no, it's nothing," she replied instantly. "Let's go, Lloyd. The sooner Chocolat is freed, the better." Lloyd nodded. The sooner she was free and the Ranch destroyed, the sooner Forcystus would be freed…

* * *

The air of sadness around them as they left the building was clear, and Forcystus called out to them softly. Lloyd went over to him, but the rest stayed where they were.

"…Lloyd," Forcystus murmured. "The Exbelua…" Lloyd fought back tears.

"Dorr's wife… Clara…" He murmured. "Dorr's… Dead. Pronyma had one of her servants pose as his daughter… His daughter's dead." Forcystus bit his lip.

"That is unusually cruel of Magnius, but, I suppose he does not care so long as it obtains the desired result," Forcystus murmured. "Did you get the passcode?" Lloyd nodded mutely. "Good," Forcystus murmured. "Good luck. I suppose you would have gone no matter, once you learnt of the girl's plight, but I still think you are foolish to take such risks for a Desian like me." Lloyd quietened him desperately.

"The townspeople are only agreeing to this because I told them you aren't a Desian!" Lloyd told him in a hushed voice. "Don't tell them you are, else it may be for nothing anyway…" Forcystus sighed.

"Despite my current predicament, I knew Magnius well, and I could get along with him easier than the other Cardinals. It is a shame he has invited death by attempting to kill the Chosen. Don't let what he says get to you. He will try to use the past against you. Be strong. I know you are strong." Forcystus smiled sadly at him, and Lloyd nodded slowly.

"Next time we come here, the Palmacosta Ranch will be empty," he promised.

"Try rubble. I'm sure you can find a self-destruct," Forcystus replied. "Good luck. May the tree speed your return unharmed." Lloyd nodded, walking back over to the others. Kratos shot Forcystus a look, but the half-elf had closed his eyes and didn't see it.

* * *

Forced by the onset of night and lack of energy to postpone their journey to the Ranch, the group set off back there the next day, as the sun was starting to rise.

"Lloyd," Colette started uncertainly, when the Ranch started to come into view over the tops of the trees. He glanced up from where he was impaling a giant bug.

"Yeah?" He asked absently. She bit her lip.

"Um… What's surveillance?" She asked. Lloyd blinked.

"Well, uh…" He scratched the back of his head, wondering how to phrase it. "They've got these things called cameras, right? They put them all around the Ranch, and when people walk past them, they send an image of what's going on to a big computer in the central control room." Colette still seemed a bit lost.

"So… They… Take pictures of people?" She asked. "How?" Lloyd shrugged.

"It's magitechnology," he responded. "It's how me and Genis were caught fighting those guards… Did Genis tell you about that?" Genis looked sheepish as Colette shook her head. "Well, we were trying to stop these Desians from assaulting this guy who was too weak to work. They were, like, whipping him." He frowned slightly. "So, uh, Genis cast Fireball on them, and they came out of the front of the Ranch and I stabbed them. Did a bit of creative running along the top of the gate, too…" He thought about it. "I think the cameras were on the main building, looking at the gate, 'cause they caught me running on top of the gate and jumping off the cliff – that's how Forcystus knew about my Exsphere at least, 'cause I couldn't've jumped it otherwise – and once they figured we were from Iselia, they stormed the place."

"Lloyd, that sounds so dangerous!" Colette exclaimed. "How could you do something like that?"

"I couldn't just leave the guards beating up on that poor guy," he replied with a shrug. "It's not right." Colette seemed downcast.

"But… The Desian who saved you… Forcystus…" She murmured. "Wasn't all that his fault in the first place?" Lloyd blinked, caught out by the sudden question.

"Well… Kind of," he agreed. "No, no, it is, you're right." He sighed. "But… I met a couple of the other Grand Cardinals when I was in the Ranch, and I found out… A lot of the stuff that goes on." He sighed softly, looking off at the horizon absently as he remembered. "Forcystus… Didn't like the way things were done. He was trying to change them… But there's only so much you can do before you're viewed as weak, yeah? Ask him next time we see him. I can't really speak for him."

"They didn't make you do Ranch work though, did they?" Genis remarked. "So you can't really talk about that." Lloyd sighed.

"I did do it once," he admitted. "And I took more than a couple of beatings. And I saw how the prisoners were treated… I wasn't treated _that_ much better than they were. I got the same food; I kept the same kind of hours. They just didn't put me to work, and I only had to wear the standard-issue clothing once." He shrugged idly. "Like I said, ask Forcystus. He'll probably tell you. I don't see why he wouldn't."

They continued on in silence.

Neil ran up to them as soon as he saw them, worry clear in his face. He stopped as he saw them and sighed.

"No… Don't say anything," he murmured. "Just seeing your faces tells me what has happened to Dorr." Lloyd bit his lip.

"He did say… He wanted us to save Chocolat," he told him softly. Neil sighed, bowing his head.

"…Governor-General…" He murmured, looking up with determination in his eyes. "Very well. Please, will you take me along to help honour the Governor-General's last wish?" Kratos and Raine both looked uneasy, but Lloyd nodded.

"Alright," he agreed. Raine sighed.

"Well, at any rate, we'll put that key Dorr gave us to use," she suggested.

"But even if we get in, they won't let us just wander around!" Genis protested. Kratos nodded.

"We must be prepared," he agreed. Lloyd laughed.

"We're as prepared as we're ever gonna be," he replied. "And the sun's setting. If we don't hurry Chocolat is going to be processed and she might be moved to another Ranch. If that happens… It might end up impossible to rescue her." Kratos made an uncertain noise.

"How long does this process normally take?" He asked. Lloyd frowned in thought.

"Normally it would have been done by now," he replied. "But, because they're using her as bait, they'll probably hold off for a while to try and lure us in. Although, from what I've seen of Magnius, there's a limit to his patience…"

"When they process them… What exactly do they do?" Kratos asked, and Lloyd sighed.

"Well, they put them through a physical exam, and then they run the data through the Ranch Selection program and it ranks the Ranches in order of suitability. Normally they're kept at the Ranch they're caught at, and if so they implant the Exsphere the next day, if not they're left and sent off to the Ranch they're best for, and the Exsphere is implanted there."

"…Exsphere?" Genis asked slowly. Lloyd bit his lip.

"Um, yeah. That's what Ranches are…" He mumbled.

"We have little time," Kratos cut him off. "If what you say is true, Chocolat may already be out of our reach. We can discuss this when our current task is complete." Lloyd nodded, despite Colette and Genis' protests that they wanted to know what went on, and Raine walked down the path to the side-door and slotted the card in, keying in the code Dorr had told them. "Do you remember the directions Forcystus told us?" Kratos asked Lloyd, who nodded again.

"West, west, south, north, north, west, north, west, north," Lloyd recited, a grin on his face. Kratos nodded.

"Don't forget it," he told him curtly as they walked in. Lloyd's face fell.

"…Not even a well done?" He murmured, following Kratos with his mood considerably lower.

* * *

They crept in, wary for any Desian guards, but the room they arrived in was currently empty. Lloyd scanned it, consulting his practically-complete mental map of the Iselia Ranch for any similarities.

"…Junction or Guard meeting room," he settled for eventually. "Oh!" He ran over to a machine on the opposite side of the room. "If this reacts the same as the one in Forcystus'… Yeah!" The machine whirred and his Ring flashed. "This should help!" He enthused.

"And what, exactly, does it do?" Kratos asked, raising an eyebrow. Lloyd looked at it.

"Uh…" He murmured, activating the Ring. A green glow filled the room, and the light of mana appeared on the teleporter. "Oh, it's the Radar Forcystus mentioned!" He realised. "Don't we need this for the teleporters?" Raine nodded.

"It should reveal anything in the surrounding area that's been masked. That is quite a clever trick," she remarked.

"And if a Desian loses his Radar, quite an irritating one, I would assume," Kratos added softly. Lloyd activated the Radar again as it turned off and went over to the teleporter.

"I'll go through last…" He started.

"How about we all stand on the teleporter at once? Will it catch us all?" Genis suggested suddenly. Kratos examined the size of it.

"Possibly," he replied. "I would suggest Lloyd stand on the outside, in case it does not." Lloyd nodded.

"Gotcha," he replied, standing on the very edge of the teleporter. He could still feel the mana rushing up from it, so he activated his radar and Kratos hit the 'go' button with his foot.

"Did it work?" Lloyd asked as they faded in to an identical-looking room.

"Seems so," Genis remarked as Kratos took his sword to the surprised guards. Lloyd nodded slowly.

"Right… So, where now?" He asked. Raine glanced around.

"We should try the door on the right," she decided. Lloyd's mental map of Iselia's Ranch was failing him miserably here; Magnius' seemed to be of a completely different layout. "Now, Forcystus mentioned that in order to access the main teleporters, we would need keycards. It would be wise to assume that the higher-ranking Desians would have these. Lloyd, do you know how we could recognise them?" Lloyd thought about it. The Desians had never really interacted with him all that much.

"Um, they have rank slides," he replied. "Oh, and the colours on their uniforms vary. I think purple instead of red is a higher rank… I was mostly just around Forcystus though." Raine nodded thoughtfully.

"I see… And what sort of… Rank slide would indicate a higher rank?" She asked.

"Er, anything above two of the pointy lines is fairly high," Lloyd replied dubiously.

"They are commonly termed 'chevrons', if you are speaking of what I believe you are," Kratos informed him curtly. "Come, if we are going we must not dawdle. The longer we spend in this Ranch, the more danger the Chosen is in." Colette looked a little downcast at being the cause of worry, and the group went through the door, only to be confronted with a group of angry-looking Desians, whom Lloyd, Kratos and Genis swiftly dealt with. A quick examination of the bodies yielded no keycards.

"Damn," Lloyd murmured. Raine was examining a machine close to a gap.

"Lloyd, come over here and use the Radar," she instructed, and Lloyd went over and did just that. A blue light appeared above the machine.

"Whoa, that's cool!" He decided. Raine sighed and shook her head, touching the light. Two bridges appeared, one over to the right and one leading upwards.

"To the right appears to be a dead end. If we try there first, we may find something of use," Kratos decided.

"There's a group of Desians over there!" Lloyd observed, pointing. Kratos got his sword out.

"Then let us go and ask them about keycards," he suggested. Lloyd drew his swords, too.

"Sounds good," he agreed with a grin, running across the bridge with Kratos not too far behind him. The Desians were dead before they even knew what had happened. "Here!" Lloyd declared, holding up a keycard. "The Sergeant had it on him." Kratos nodded, taking it.

"Two to go, then," he murmured. "Well done, Lloyd. You dealt with that efficiently," he added, walking back over the bridge and leaving Lloyd stunned.

"A… Compliment? From Kratos?" He wondered aloud. "…Wow… He must be ill or something…" Genis laughed and Kratos pointedly ignored them all. The group quickly made their way across the second bridge and went off to the right, where Lloyd activated the radar and had a look around.

"…Seems pretty pointless…" He decided, but Colette called out suddenly.

"Up there! Something sparkled!" She insisted. "I'll fly up and get it!" Lloyd nodded, holding the Sorcerer's Ring up as Colette flew on to an upper platform and held up a keycard triumphantly.

"It was the light reflecting off the plastic covering," Raine realised. "Good job spotting that, Colette." Colette grinned and flew back down, Kratos taking the card from her as she landed.

"One left!" Lloyd declared. "Only one route left to take, too."

"Don't dawdle," Kratos told him curtly, walking across to the door. Lloyd sighed, deciding the compliment had definitely been a one-off, and ran to catch up with Kratos.

* * *

"Cells!" Lloyd exclaimed when they entered the next room. "Man, I hate these things!"

"Look out!" Kratos cautioned as a pair of guards ran at them, and Lloyd drew his swords and cut one down as Kratos swiftly dealt with the other. There was a hushed murmur amongst the prisoners.

"We have to save these people!" Colette exclaimed. Even Raine nodded.

"Yes. When you consider what will happen, we cannot just leave them here," she agreed. Lloyd nodded.

"That's the best way. We should split into two groups," he decided, but Neil stepped forwards.

"Wait. Leave this to me," he told them. "Once the Palmacostan army gets here I can join up with our forces and lead these people to safety." Lloyd nodded.

"Alright. We'll go on ahead and see if we can find where Chocolat's been taken to," he agreed, going over to the cell door and fiddling with the console until the door opened.

"Lloyd! You can use computers?!" Raine exclaimed, a mixture of surprise and delight in her voice. The captives were moving out of the cell carefully.

"Forcystus taught me," Lloyd replied absently. "It was kinda boring, though." None of the group noticed Kratos' slight frown. Neil nodded and led the prisoners out of the room, but one young boy went up to Lloyd shyly. "Hey, what's wrong?" Lloyd asked him, thinking of the boy he'd seen a few times at Iselia Ranch. The boy Forcystus had treated like dirt… But he'd had an appearance to keep up.

"Um…" He started, then he held up a keycard. "I, um, I saw one of the Desians treat this like it was really important, so, um, I picked it up." Lloyd took it off him.

"Hey, thanks. This is really helpful," Lloyd told the boy, who grinned.

"Thanks for saving me, mister!" He told Lloyd, running to catch up to Neil and the others. Kratos smiled slightly as he took the keycard from Lloyd, but the teen didn't look at him.

"That's all three, isn't it?" He murmured. "We can get to the main teleporters now, right?" Raine nodded.

"If the information Forcystus gave us is correct, we should be able to reach the control room," she agreed. Lloyd turned.

"Are you implying he'd lie?" He demanded, affronted. Raine sighed.

"No, Lloyd. I am suggesting that perhaps Magnius has changed things, because Forcystus knows his Ranch. The passcode was changed, after all." Lloyd backed down, feeling slightly foolish.

"Yeah… I guess…" He murmured. Kratos was stood by the door.

"We have little time to stand around discussing this issue," he reminded them. "We must locate the teleporter and find Magnius." Lloyd nodded, getting the feeling he was being ganged up on, and the whole group made their way to the main teleporter, where Kratos slotted the three cards into their appropriate slots. There was a humming noise, but no other indication that the teleporter was now working. Lloyd activated the radar.

"Oh, it's glowing!" Colette observed.

"Yeah, success!" Lloyd cheered. "Let's go!"

Once they were all through the teleporter – Lloyd noticed that Kratos had dealt with five guards in his absence and didn't even appear phased – Lloyd looked around at the room they were in. it was a circular shape, with a different coloured teleporter at every 90o.

"West, west, south, north, north, west, north, west, north," he murmured to himself, heading to the one on the right. "This one first," he told the group, and they gathered on it and went through.

The room they ended up in looked identical.

"Well… We're all here," Raine decided. "So, now which do we stand on?"

"West again," Lloyd replied, pointing. "I'm hoping he means west as in…" He trailed off and indicated the portal with a hand wave. Kratos nodded.

"I would presume so. Come, we have no time to spend dawdling." He walked forwards towards the teleporter.

"Geez, does he always have to be so cold?" Lloyd murmured under his breath.

* * *

Once they'd taken the penultimate teleporter, they ran into Chocolat.

"Chocolat!" Colette cried, as Lloyd and Kratos drew their swords.

"Wh- inferior beings in the Ranch! Get them!" One of the Desian guards yelled. Lloyd grinned.

"Easier said than done, Desian. Tempest!" Colette cried out in worry as he launched himself over the hole, but he landed neatly on the other platform and sliced the offending guard in two. Kratos took care of the two charging at Colette with a double demon fang, and Lloyd kicked the one holding Chocolat down the rather large drop.

"Lloyd! That was very foolish of you!" Raine scolded. Lloyd shrugged.

"I knew what I was doing," he replied affably.

"You… You all came to save me?" Chocolat asked, unable to believe it. Lloyd nodded, grinning happily.

"Sure we did. Are you ok?" He asked. She nodded quickly.

"Th-thank you, everyone!" She told them, surprised.

"Be that as it may, we still have Magnius to deal with," Kratos reminded them curtly.

"Yes, Neil should be getting the captives to safety by now," Raine added. Chocolat looked uncertain for a second.

"Um, that platform up there, it leads to this room filled with sparkly lights and magical-looking things…" She offered. Lloyd nodded.

"The control room," Lloyd replied. "With any luck, Magnius'll be there."

"Dorr finally mobilised his plans, didn't he?" Chocolat exclaimed happily. The group exchanged guilty glances. "Let me show you. I want to help."

"It will be dangerous…" Raine started, but Chocolat had already gone over to the teleporter.

"This one, here," she told them. Lloyd activated the Ring, and they all stood on the teleporter, Kratos activating it as he had done with the previous ones.

"This is definitely the control room," Lloyd confirmed as they appeared, looking around at the computers in the room. "And his holograph projector is large than Forcystus'…"

"His what?" Genis asked, but Magnius didn't give Lloyd a chance to answer.

"So, the forsaken Chosen and her entourage of vermin have finally arrived," he observed.

"Forsaken…" Kratos murmured, a slight frown on his face. Forcystus had said he thought that. "Strange…"

"You're the forsaken one!" Lloyd yelled, drawing his swords. "How could you do something so callous to an ally?!" Magnius laughed.

"Forcystus? As soon as he assisted inferior rats, he was no longer our ally!" He spat. "He got too attached to you, vermin, so he paid the price." Lloyd hissed angrily, but Desians appeared from surrounding teleporters.

"You scum…" Lloyd hissed as Magnius pressed a few buttons to activate his projector.

"I even caught some rats trying to escape," he sneered. Lloyd cursed.

"The surveillance… We forgot to tell Neil…" He muttered. Colette's eyes widened.

"Is that one of the cameras that takes pictures?" She asked, awed. Kratos nodded.

"It is an image captured by one, yes," he told her. Lloyd made an angry noise as Magnius pressed more buttons and sealed off their exits.

"You… You Desian scumbag!" Lloyd exclaimed. "You're the Inferior one!" Magnius glared, Lloyd's insult having the desired effect. If there was one thing he'd learnt at Forcystus' Ranch, it was to never call a Desian inferior. Unless you _wanted_ to make them mad.

"Everything you've done is meaningless!" Magnius crowed with a sneering laugh. Lloyd glared, hatred in his gaze.

"We can rescue them after we take care of you!" He spat.

"Big words from someone who caused the Iselia disaster, then befriended a member of the organisation you claim to despise!" Magnius shot back. Lloyd recoiled slightly.

"Th… That was…" He murmured weakly. Magnius laughed victoriously.

"Why don't I recreate with the vermin here? Watch! I'll unleash their Exspheres and turn them into monsters, just like the vermin you killed. Just like Marble!" Lloyd flinched as though he'd been struck.

"You… You don't mean…" Chocolat murmured, horror in her voice.

"You are the monster," Lloyd murmured.

"Oh, I do, my little Chocolat!" Magnius spat, the contempt in his voice clear. "Dear old granny Marble was sent to the Iselia Ranch, where she was killed by Lloyd! Who then proceeded to befriend the owner of the Ranch, who caused her so much suffering!" Lloyd made a noise of protest. "And was it fun to watch them hang him, little rat?" Magnius continued scornfully.

"They didn't hang him!" Lloyd yelled. "I'll save him! He's nothing like you, you filthy Desian scumbag!"

"You… You…" Chocolat stammered.

"No, wait!" Genis protested. "It wasn't like that! The Desians, they turned her into a monster, and…"

"Lloyd killed her," Magnius finished triumphantly. "And you know the very Desian that turned her into that monster is the one you're trying to save!"

"No…" Chocolat murmured, dumbstruck. Two of the Desian soldiers grabbed her.

_I guess this is what Forcystus mean by he'd try to use the past against me, _Lloyd thought. "Let her go! Desian vermin!" He spat.

"No!" Chocolat replied. "I refuse to be saved by my grandma's murderer!"

"Please, don't say that," Colette begged.

"Dorr will save me!" Chocolat told them confidently, and that was like a knife wound in Lloyd's heart. Dorr. He'd betrayed his city, but they had believed in him… And what had he done? Murdered Marble… And then, there was Forcystus…

"_Be strong, Lloyd. I know you are strong."_ Forcystus was different to the rest of the Desians.

_I know Forcystus is different! _He told himself determinedly. Magnius was laughing; he'd made some sarcastic comment about Dorr. "Stop!" Lloyd demanded as the teleporter took Chocolat and the Desians away. Magnius indicated them with a hand movement, and the rest of the soldiers rushed them. Fighting back tears of frustration and confusion, Lloyd hacked the first one in half. If they were going to make him angry, he'd take it out on them! Genis cast a spell on another and Kratos dealt with two at once with a Lightning Blade.

"Ugh, dammit! How can you idiots allow yourselves to be defeated by these inferiors?" Magnius demanded as his soldiers died. He lowered his chair to the floor and stood, picking up a huge axe-like weapon from the side of the chair. "Fine! I'll kill this forsaken Chosen and her inferior entourage, along with you fools who can't let go of your elven blood!" Forcystus' sarcastic comments about Genis being an elf, what he'd said, came to Lloyd's mind, but he brushed it aside. Forcystus was different, and Genis was Genis. Even if Forcystus was right, it wouldn't matter.

"Look out," Kratos warned them as Magnius charged, and Lloyd blocked his first swing and jumped backwards, his Exsphere glowing and giving him the strength to do a mid-air back flip. He noticed Raine get out a magic lens and hold it up – she probably had a large supply of them somewhere. Lloyd employed some of Forcystus' more descriptive swearwords when Magnius dodged his Fierce Demon Fang, which made Kratos give him a long look until he apologised.

_Seriously, he's scolding me when we're battling a Grand Cardinal? _Lloyd thought, bemused. Kratos was certainly strange. Eventually, Lloyd got a hit in on him that made him fly backwards and kneel, one hand on his stomach. It was clearly a fatal wound.

"Im.. Possible… How could a… Superior half-elf like me…" He started. Lloyd pointed his sword at Magnius.

"It's you who is the inferior one," he told him. "You betray your allies and disobey the rule of your leaders."

"You are a fool, Magnius," Kratos added. "Cruxis has accepted Colette as the Chosen."

"She even has a Cruxis Crystal," Lloyd added. Magnius looked up in shock.

"So… You're…" He shook his head. "Then… I was deceived…"

"Forcystus told us as much," Lloyd replied. "You're just a fool who nearly caused the death of the Chosen of Sylvarant and of one of your own loyal allies. Forcystus would never have betrayed you had you simply helped him." Magnius made a weak noise and collapsed to the floor. Raine was over by the consoles, and had changed the view on the projector to show Chocolat being taken away by some Desians.

"Dammit…" Lloyd cursed as Raine pressed more buttons.

"There. That should allow Neil and the prisoners to escape," she told them.

"But there's the Exspheres," Lloyd started. "We can't just leave them on!"

"Can't we take them off?" Genis asked, but Lloyd shook his head.

"It's dangerous to remove an Exsphere lacking a Key Crest," Kratos cut in. "I would imagine… That only a Dwarf could handle it."

"I need to contact my dad anyway, to tell him I'm safe. I can ask him then," Lloyd decided. Raine pressed more buttons.

"I'll program the place to self-destruct," she told them.

"Raine, if you do that…" Genis started weakly. Lloyd went over to the console, glancing at the screen.

"It will deal a major blow to the Desian stranglehold over Palmacosta, and it will give the city proof that Lloyd has done as he promised," Raine replied as Lloyd went over to the next console and pressed a few buttons, ejecting a disk and hitting some more buttons until the screen flashed red. "Remember, Genis. We're not like them. We're different," Raine told him, turning back to the monitor and keying in a sequence. "I've set the timer to ten minutes. We should be able to get back out in time." Lloyd nodded.

"Let's go, then. This place'll be nothing more than a memory in… Nine minutes and forty four seconds!" He declared, heading for a teleporter. Kratos gave him a strange look – He'd noticed the disk – but followed despite that.

* * *

As they left, Magnius raised his head.

"I have to… Let Forcystus'… Ranch know…" He murmured. "I've… Been a fool… They'll have to… Fetch him…" A man appeared on the holograph then.

"I'm afraid I have a slight problem with you informing the Ranch about Lord Forcystus and the Chosen. You see, they'd figure out what I was trying to do."

"Rodyle!" Magnius spat. "You… Tricked me…" Rodyle just laughed.

"Collecting Gald, attempting to eliminate the Chosen, disposing of Lord Forcystus… You've been very useful! I hope you enjoy the afterlife!" With a crazy laugh, the holograph went blank, and Magnius made one last futile effort to reach it before he collapsed.

"Lord… Yggdrasill…" He murmured. "Glory… To the coming age… Of half-elv…" His eyes closed for the last time, his wounds too much for him, and he died with his Ranch.

* * *

**A/N -** writing death scenes is always depressing, whether you like the character or not. I recently had to write the death of an enemy-turned-friend in an original story of mine, and it made me cry. Is it wrong to get too attached to characters that only exist in your head? *runs*


	16. Chapter three: Salvation

**Greetings from Mars.** Uh, I mean, forget that.. *shifty look*

The chapter's not too long, I'm sorry But thanks to freakyanimegal who stopped Kratos (kinda) being emo! And fixed some... Shall we say _language issues._ Let's not go further.

I've not been in the best of states lately... A girl was killed on my bus route recently. But I wrote for you guys... Even if it's only a little bit.

sliver: thanks ^^

Likeaglintoflight: All of those questions _will_ be answered before they leave Sylvarant. I hope. *sweatdrop*

Symphoniafan: Thanks ^^ Ah, I forgot about the bandits. Must play ToS some when I have time and do some thorough research.

etharg: ...I know about the lip-biting thing. It's a bad habit I'm trying to change, like overuse of the word 'murmur' in its various forms. (At least it's not said... lol)  
He's not that damaged. Not really. He had a troubled past, sure, but so did a lot of halfelves. (physically? He got slashed... Once. I think. Oh, and Yuan, but at least he's not dead, hey? ^^)  
But thanks for reading! I'll bear those points in mind - although it's too late to change the party's reactions, it'll help with future fics (in which my characterisation of Genis will doubtless continue to suck. Hard. XD)

* * *

Chapter three: Salvation

The group exited the Ranch post-haste, dragging a confused Niel out of the way before he was impaled by a piece of flying rubble. The whole group, even Kratos, had lain down and tried to avoid the sharper pieces of ex-Ranch, although most of it had imploded rather than been flung into the surrounding area.

"Whew… I thought I was going to die!" Lloyd remarked truthfully, noting the rather sharp-looking stone that had landed right by him and Neil. The group stood up slowly, Kratos looking totally unflustered.

"I'm glad everyone's alright," Colette remarked with a smile. Neil frowned.

"…What about Chocolat?" He asked, glancing around, having expected her to have exited with the main group. Lloyd looked guilty, running a hand through his hair.

"We believe she has been taken to another location," Raine replied. "If nothing has happened to her, she can still be rescued," she added, and Lloyd sighed as Kratos nodded in agreement. Neil looked a little more relieved.

"I'm glad," he replied. "Even Dorr wanted to save her…"

"I swear I'll rescue her," Lloyd promised. "Even if they put the Exsphere in her, I'll save her. And if they take her to Iselia I know the Ranch." _And it's my fault she wasn't rescued this time… I owe her._

"The Exspheres Lloyd mentioned will put the captives in grave danger unless something is done" Kratos added to Neil. Lloyd nodded.

"Write to my dad," he advised. "A dwarf that lives in Iselia, called Dirk. He should help you get them removed, especially if you tell him I'm free from the Ranch."

"Free… From the Ranch?" Neil asked, but Kratos shook his head and put a warning hand on Lloyd's shoulder. Neil shrugged. "Not my place, I see," He murmured. "Dirk, in Iselia. I'll do it as soon as possible," he added eventually. "I'll head back to the city now and get it sorted. Palmacosta will be in a mess with Dorr dead…"

"Forcystus," Lloyd murmured to Kratos, who nodded.

"We will accompany you," he told Neil. "The sun has nearly set now. We should spend the night in Palmacosta." Lloyd grinned happily. "And I believe there is a half-elf whom Lloyd would like to see freed." Neil nodded slowly.

"I'll see what I can do," he replied; distaste showing clearly on his face as he turned to leave. Lloyd frowned.

"No, the militia promised…" He started, but Kratos' grip tightened. "Ow! I get it, already!" He protested, and Kratos nodded curtly, leading him off with the rest of the group.

* * *

Neil turned out to be quite grateful for the escort, as they were ambushed by a pack of wolves on their way back. Kratos and Lloyd dealt with it, and Kratos grudgingly conceded that it was more useful having Lloyd around. That perked Lloyd's spirits up considerably, and he spent the rest of the journey telling Kratos all about the Ranches. Kratos noted that he hesitated to say anything about Cruxis, working his way around it with words. He clearly didn't want to say anything to cause worry.

"Forcystus said he was born in Exire," Lloyd told him. "Um, you probably won't know it." Kratos smiled slightly.

_If only you knew,_ he thought sadly. "No, I cannot say I have come across it in my travels," he agreed, purely to satisfy Lloyd, who seemed unwilling to talk of Tethe'alla. Clearly he thought Kratos would think him crazy.

"Well, it's a village full of half-elves. Forcystus said he was kicked out of it," Lloyd continued. "He didn't say why, though. And he's an orphan… Like me." Kratos frowned slightly.

"I knew your mother was dead, but your father?" He murmured. "Although, considering the manner of your mother's death…"

"Filthy Desians," Lloyd growled, cutting him off. "…I was told… That my father killed my mom…" Kratos made a slight uncomfortable noise, and Lloyd sighed. "But, it was because Kvar unleashed her Exsphere, turned her into an Exbelua, like Clara, like… Marble." He sighed. "I don't blame my dad. I don't know if he's alive or not, but I guess he's dead. I always thought that if he were alive, surely he'd have come and looked for me?" Kratos looked away.

_Three days and nights I searched for you, Lloyd… I searched the bottom of that cliff until I thought if I saw another dead Desian I would scream… And I gave up on you…_ He forced himself not to cry. Lloyd was so naïve, so innocent. He had no idea. _I am an angel. I do not cry, not any more,_ he told himself sternly. He hadn't cried in fourteen years… And tears were a luxury that would soon be denied Colette, too.

"I live in hope, though," Lloyd added quietly, looking up at Kratos. "I want to meet my real dad. More than anything else in the world. It's like… You know how Dorr was like, with Kilia? A parent's love for a child is so special… And I've never truly had it…"

"Yes…" Kratos murmured. "A parent's love can be a truly wonderful thing." He turned to look at Lloyd. "No matter where your parents are, whether your father is alive or dead… They are watching over you, Lloyd. And they love you, more than anything else in the world." Lloyd smiled slightly.

"Yeah…" He murmured, clearly at ease. "I can't really remember that much of them, but… I know my father had a deep voice, and a kind laugh. And my mom really loved him." He sighed. "And blue light… That's why I found Forcystus' feather kind of… Comforting, I guess. If it was blue… Blue, warm light…" He was so wrapped up in his memory that he barely noticed Kratos freeze for a second.

"That is… Certainly unusual," he murmured once he has recovered. Lloyd sighed.

"I guess so," he replied. "But it's only an early memory, so I guess it might just be me remembering wrong."

"Yes… Perhaps," Kratos agreed. Lloyd bit his lip.

"I'd still like to meet my dad, though," he murmured. "I'd like to tell him that mom doesn't blame him… That I still love him." Kratos' breath caught in his throat.

"I'm… Sure he'd like to hear that," he replied. Lloyd smiled slightly.

"Sorry… I guess I just bored you with family history, hey?" He remarked. Kratos chuckled and shook his head.

"Not at all, Lloyd," he replied. "If you wish to speak to me I am happy to listen." He paused, thinking. "If you wish, I will give you training. No, don't tell me you trained with Forcystus, I know that. But it helps to see different people's sword styles. Perhaps you can learn something from me that Forcystus couldn't teach you. Besides, you will be fighting beside me. You need to learn how I fight, to… Let you be better able to help me." _So you know how I fight, in case you are stubborn enough to try and save the Chosen when you find out the truth._ Lloyd grinned.

"Sure!" He replied enthusiastically. "I mean, you never stop learning, do you?" Kratos smiled slightly.

"Indeed not," he agreed. "Ah, there is Palmacosta. It is getting dark… We timed this well." Lloyd looked at the floor.

"I'm… Sorry I dragged you into it," he murmured. "I just got so angry because they… Forcystus…" Kratos nodded.

"I understand," he replied. "He is… Your friend. You had every right to be angry." Lloyd sighed, looking up at Kratos.

"You don't think it's bad for me to be friends with a half-elf, do you? With a Desian?" He asked. Kratos smiled slightly, thinking of Yuan… And Martel and Mithos.

"You are a special sort of person, Lloyd," he told him. "You judge by character, not race. That is a rare talent. I have no quarrel with a half-elf simply because of race, but those like Magnius ask for the hatred they receive. Certainly, I am unsure befriending a Desian is a wise idea, but if you believe in him, I will give him a chance." Lloyd grinned.

"Thanks, Kratos!" He replied. "I guess you're kind of cool. I thought you were just some snappy mercenary, but… I guess I misjudged you." Kratos smiled.

"Indeed, perhaps," he replied. "But be careful who you trust. Those who appear to be friendly may betray you in the end. Bear that in mind." Lloyd frowned.

"…You're all my friends. I trust you," he replied, and that hurt Kratos. "You wouldn't betray us, would you?"

"My skills were hired, not my loyalty," Kratos replied. "I will see the Chosen to the end of her journey, that is all. Of course, I will stop those who intend to impede the Chosen's wishes." _Such as you, my child, if you wanted to save her… I would have to raise my blade to you. I only hope you are strong enough to survive, then, if that occurs…_ Lloyd nodded.

"I guess so," he replied. "It's for Sylvarant, after all." Kratos nodded, glancing at the townsfolk as they walked into Palmacosta.

"Yes… For Sylvarant," he murmured. Lloyd gave him a strange look, then ran into the square to go and see if Forcystus was still alright.

* * *

"Lloyd!" The half-elf greeted as he ran up. "You are unhurt? I'm glad." Lloyd grinned.

"We did it, Forcystus!" He exclaimed. "The Ranch is rubble now!" Forcystus smiled sadly.

"Well done," he murmured, glancing at the rest of them as they walked up. "Chosen. I am glad to see you are unhurt."

"Oh, um… Thank you… Mr. Desian…" She mumbled uncertainly. Kratos walked up and slashed Forcystus' bonds, making the half-elf fall to the floor. Lloyd moved forwards to help him, but Forcystus waved him away.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," he replied. "The city militia will be glad to hear their main threat has been removed, I'm sure. Oh, Neil. Glad to see you're not trying to kill me this time." Neil made an unhappy noise.

"…Sure," he murmured. Lloyd flinched at the coldness in his voice.

"Wh… What's wrong?" he asked uncertainly. Kratos put a hand on his shoulder, cautioning him not to pry. "Ah… Ow, Kratos…" He protested. "Forcystus, Magnius is dead… I…"

"You're sorry?" Forcystus finished for him, getting to his feet. "Don't be. Magnius was a fool. He would only have caused you problems had you not killed him. In truth, if he allowed himself to be so easily deceived he did not deserve to be a Cardinal." He laughed softly. "Besides, although I knew him, he was no friend of mine." Lloyd sighed in frustration.

"Do none of you get along?" He asked. Forcystus shook his head.

"Rodyle and Kvar are co-operating, but to say they got along would be stupidity," he replied. "We're all different, Lloyd. We're chosen for strength, not how much we like each other." Lloyd nodded.

"…I guess you're right," he murmured. Kratos made a slight noise.

"Let us head for the Inn," he suggested, giving Forcystus a look. The half-elf just shrugged. "It is late." Lloyd nodded, and the party walked in the direction of the Inn, leaving Neil to go to the Governmental building to start clearing up Dorr's mess.

* * *

"That will be fine… But I'm afraid your… Friend will have to go elsewhere," the Innkeeper told Lloyd when he asked for rooms.

"What?" He asked. "You mean Forcystus?" The half-elf sighed, as though he knew what was coming.

"This is a respectable establishment. We'll not have half-elves here," she replied curtly. Lloyd made an angry noise.

"There's nothing wrong with Forcystus!" He protested angrily. Raine and Genis gave each other a worried look, but Forcystus walked up and shushed Lloyd.

"It's all right," he told him, turning to the Innkeeper. "Forgive me for causing any trouble, ma'am. I shall leave presently." Lloyd started to protest again, but Forcystus shook his head. "It's not like I'm not used to it," he told him softly, walking out of the Inn after giving Raine and Genis a small glance.

"But…" Lloyd murmured weakly. Kratos sighed.

"I expected this," he murmured. "If Forcystus is happy with it, Lloyd, you have no reason to start trouble over it."

"But…" Lloyd murmured again, but Kratos just shook his head, and his arguments subsided.

"Forcystus is a hero… And people treat him like this?" Lloyd murmured to himself, sitting on the edge of his bed. Kratos, who was sharing a room with him, walked over.

"A half-elven hero," he corrected. "There are many stories about him. You know what he did?" Lloyd nodded.

"He killed every member of a group of murderers who tried to massacre a village full of innocent half-elves," he replied. Kratos nodded.

"Indeed. Now put that in the terms of a human who has not experienced what you have," he advised. "A half-elf. In other words, someone who may as well be a Desian. He killed every member of a group of _humans_. And who were they trying to kill? Half-elves." Lloyd sighed.

"That's just stupid prejudice," he muttered. Kratos nodded.

"From what I've heard, he is said to be full of knightly virtue…" He sighed softly, shaking his head. "He is said to be kind and gentle to his companions, and a fierce god of death to his enemies."

"Yet they make him sleep in the street," Lloyd murmured. "It's just stupidity!" Kratos nodded.

"Perhaps. But you have to remember, many of the citizens of Palmacosta have lost loved ones to the Desians. That is what war does. It makes victims of your opponents and gives birth to hatred. Non-exclusive hatred." Lloyd sighed.

"Maybe that's why…" He trailed off and shook his head. "But I don't see why people can't accept Forcystus for who he is. I mean, I have, and he was my captor… He's so kind, though. He treated me as though I was… Human." He sighed softly. "He didn't really like what he did, I don't think. He tried to make things better for the humans in the Ranch. And he took good enough care of me to risk himself when Kvar came…"

"You do not like Kvar?" Kratos asked, sitting next to Lloyd on the bed, his red eyes looking at the boy carefully. Lloyd shook his head.

"He's a scummy murderer. And he…" He bit his lip. "He… Wanted to take me to his Ranch…" Kratos frowned.

"Why?" He asked. Lloyd looked up at him.

"…Promise you won't tell the others…" He mumbled. Kratos nodded once. "He… Well, Forcystus told him I was, sort of, um…"

"…A pet," Kratos deduced with a soft voice. Lloyd nodded.

"He said he despised the very idea, but he had no other choice. And Kvar…"

"That fiend," Kratos murmured under his breath. Lloyd almost recoiled at the pure hatred in his voice. "Lloyd. There are… Some people who deserve to die," he murmured. Lloyd nodded vehemently.

"I promised myself I'd kill Kvar as soon as I could. For mom," he replied. "Please… Kratos. Will you… Help me? Help me avenge her?" Kratos smiled slightly.

"Yes, Lloyd, if you wish it," he replied. "Kvar has no respect for human life. His death is something I wish for, too. I would gladly lend you my aid." Lloyd smiled.

"Thanks, Kratos," he murmured. "Although… We'll have to storm another Ranch… And that'll put Colette in danger, unless they're tracking her signal. I can't see Kvar being deceived like Magnius, myself, so he won't try to kill her when he knows what she is, but…"

"Yes, you must take care," Kratos agreed. "If you would prefer, we could go alone." Lloyd nodded slowly.

"…They probably won't forgive us for it, but… If that's what circumstances present us with, then… Yeah. That'd be best." Kratos nodded.

"Good. Lloyd, you must get some sleep," he told him. "We are visiting the Geyser tomorrow."

"Mmm… You need sleep, too," Lloyd murmured sleepily. "It's… A seal, you know… Kratos." Kratos nodded.

"Perhaps," he replied. _I will watch over you, Lloyd… For it has been such a long time since I last slept… Four thousand years of watching… And it's been so long since I have been able to take care of you… My son._ Lloyd slowly drifted off to sleep, Forcystus' feather clutched in one hand. Kratos smiled sadly. _That something so innocent can come from something so corrupt…_ He thought in wonderment, before quietly leaving the room to go and see where Forcystus had got to.

* * *

"Milord Aurion," Forcystus greeted quietly as Kratos walked up. He was sat on the wooden boarding by the Inn, looking out at the water.

"You mustn't call me that," Kratos murmured, going over to sit by him. "Lloyd will guess my identity, and I can't… I can't risk it." Forcystus nodded quietly.

"I appear to have caused a lot of trouble for Lloyd. I apologise." He hadn't looked at Kratos yet, he was still staring out over the water.

"He creates his own trouble," Kratos replied with a slight smile. "He has a strong sense of justice." Forcystus nodded.

"But, I would always have expected your own son to be the same as his father," he remarked. Kratos shook his head.

"No… He's innocent," he replied. "I just… Make mistakes, over and over. And I… I will have to betray him in the end. He will never let the Chosen meet her fate if he learns of it." Forcystus nodded.

"I understand," he murmured. Kratos sighed, touching the area just below his neck that was covered by the cloth of his top, and blue wings appeared at his back. Still, Forcystus did not react, or even look at him. Kratos bent his left wing forward and reached back, pulling a feather from it with a wince. His wings disappeared almost instantly.

"When I go… Give this to Lloyd," he replied, passing Forcystus the feather. The half-elf took it without a sound.

"Will I be able to?" He murmured softly. "I have been called a lying dog twice within four weeks. That never bodes well." Kratos laughed softly.

"Lloyd likely won't let you out of his sight. Lord Yggdrasill will not interfere with the Chosen's journey if he wishes it to finish. And it is about time one did." Forcystus nodded absently. "You have managed to hide quite well, so far. I am surprised," Kratos continued, making Forcystus laugh bitterly.

"I have only been doing so badly because of Lloyd," he replied. "Giving up the Inhibitor… It kept him safe, but I? Hah…" He absently threw a stone out over the water, and it skimmed a few times before finally sinking. "Lloyd's safety is far more important than my own. I did not have to know him long to work that out. I knew in my heart he would not be at my Ranch for long. I am surprised he lasted as long as he did." Kratos smiled.

"He has Anna's determination," he replied. "Will you be alright out here?" Forcystus nodded.

"Used to it," he murmured. "Often had to sleep rough when the IRA took me out to explore for them." Kratos sighed.

"Of course," he murmured. "Lloyd is treating your feather like a precious possession, by the way." Forcystus smiled slightly.

"I know," he replied. "I can feel it. He saved me with it, from pain… That I did not expect. Although I presume he had an ulterior motive." Kratos nodded and stood up.

"That is what you want to believe," he replied. "If you are not here tomorrow morning, what should I tell Lloyd?"

"He'll use that Lens I gave him to look for me," Forcystus replied. "But if I'm not here in the morning I'll have been moved, is all. They won't kill me now, I don't think." Kratos nodded.

"I will return in the morning. Sleep well," he replied, and Forcystus laughed, finally looking at him.

"I would say the same for you, but it seems pointless, Lord Aurion, Cruxis Seraph," he replied. "Lloyd knows a Lord Aurion requested he be kept safe. If you do not wish for me to have to come up with a bad explanation, I would keep your surname secret from him." Kratos nodded.

"I intended to," he replied, walking back into the Inn. Forcystus looked at Kratos' feather.

"Blue light and warmth indeed, Lloyd," he murmured with a sigh, looking back across the water. "I can't be that special to you. I'm just a Desian…"

* * *

**A/N -** When Forcy talks about 'the Inhibitor', he means his bangle. I'd tell you what it does, but it might get explained later on in the story anyway, so I will refrain for now.

Unless people want me to?

Anyway, tell me what you think! All critique _is_ taken on board, I promise. I like critique (as long as it's not an open flame, I just ignore those and move on ^^ Not that you guys ever would ^^) and I appreciate it when people try to help me improve. Nobody's perfect... Me least of all ^^


	17. Chapter four: The Second Seal

**Greetings, all**. It's quater to eleven at night where I am and I have a full day of the wonder known as school tomorrow, so I really shouldn't be up. But I am, because I've managed to finish this chapter and want to get it posted!

First, though, a warning. Coursework is eating me and updates will likely be fortnightly until I finish. As much as you might want me to, I can't sacrifice coursework for story, XD.

On a lighter note, I got my A2 module results today. Two a's, three b's and a c! I'll be retaking the c, but apart from that I'm on my way to uni ^^

Freaky - I fixed all the things you pointed out. I changed a couple of paragraphs entirely. Thanks so much for all the help, I'm needing it more than ever right now XD

Symphoniafan: Writing interactions between Kratty and Lloyd makes me happy, so I'm glad you liked it, too ^^

Kirimori: Hee hee, that's so true. I once didn't realise I'd got into a fight until I glanced up at the victory screen. Right now, my life is too busy to write out sxtras, but if I do explain the Inhibitor more I'll put on a warning ^^

Skedaddle-san: I know so much how you feel. Seriously *drops dead from stress* And I'm glad you like the story ^^

ethargh: Not _that_ constant *shifty look**hides in corner* Hmm, sad smiles? I shall pay more attention to that in future, thankies ^^

LaGoL: I don't think I've ever seen Kratos' name used in full, at least before he betrays them. But yes, he will have told people.  
When they go to Tethe'Alla there'll be a lot more about Forcy's past, why he doesn't mind the treatment so much, etc. And yes, if all goes to plan he should stay with them.  
I often write out thoughts for characters when they're speaking, so there will be a lot more ^^ I have a planned backstory for Kratos, too, all those little details they never fill in, which should come into things fairly soon. I'll try and fit in a decent description of the Inhibitor inthe future but I'm using up all my free time (of which there is little) to write, so I can make no promises -_-

_~Text like this~_ Is Angelic tongue. _Text like this_ is thoughts. To clarify ^^

* * *

Chapter four: The Second Seal

The group, plus Forcystus who had been kicked awake by the Innkeeper in annoyance a lot earlier than the rest of the group had risen, headed out for the Thoda Geyser the next morning. Colette was enthusiastic about the mission to retrieve the statue, but Kratos and Raine were being quietly pessimistic, because that was 'the safest bet'.

They didn't encounter many monsters on the way, and Forcystus proved to be useful in that he dealt with most of them before even Kratos had a chance to draw his sword. He was a lot quicker with his magic than Genis, who had confronted him about that, he had explained that he had been casting magic a lot longer than the younger boy, and that he knew less spells if that made him feel better. Apparently, it did.

"Hi, and welcome to the Thoda Island Sightseeing Boat Dock!" the woman at the desk in the House of Salvation greeted as they entered.

"Wait until you see the boats," Forcystus told Lloyd in a low voice.

"This is the most convenient way to view the Thoda Geyser!" She continued, not having heard Forcystus. "Um… Well, the only way, in fact."

"Can we hire a boat?" Lloyd asked. The girl nodded enthusiastically.

"Sure! It's 200 Gald for a round trip!" She informed them. Lloyd glanced at the others, and Kratos rolled his eyes and produced 200 Gald. Clearly he was the one in charge of funds. "Thank you very much! The boats are out back, make your own way thee and back!" The girl continued, and Lloyd noted that the money had disappeared very quickly. He glanced at Forcystus, who was clearly trying not to laugh, and they walked out to the boats.

Or even 'boats'.

"It's… A washtub?" Lloyd murmured, bemused. Forcystus laughed then.

"Great, aren't they?" He remarked, chuckling. Lloyd glared at him.

"Washtubs, hmm…" Kratos murmured, walking up. Genis sighed.

"Yup, it's a washtub," he decided. There really was no other word for them. Colette ran up happily, a huge smile on her face.

"Wow, this looks like it should be fun!" She enthused. Lloyd gave her a look of utter disbelief.

"I think… I'm going to wait here," Raine decided. She had gone a decidedly green shade. Forcystus looked at her.

"What's the matter? Scared?" He teased. "Never known an elf be afraid of the water!" Raine looked at him as though he were crazy.

"N… No," she replied. "I'm just… Not getting in that thing." Lloyd examined one, putting a foot in experimentally.

"Well, I'll admit they don't look that safe, but we don't exactly have much choice," he told her.

"Yeah, Raine!" Genis insisted, grabbing her hand and making her cry out in absolute horror. The whole group stared at her as though she had gone mad, except for Forcystus, who seemed to find the whole situation highly amusing.

"Sure you're not afraid?" He asked her. She shook her head determinedly.

"No, I was, um, just starting to say… Ah, this should be fun!" She insisted, going over to one of the washtubs and getting in determinedly.

"Um… Sure," Lloyd replied, clearly disbelieving, and Kratos laughed softly under his breath. Anna had hated the washtubs, too. Forcystus hurried Lloyd into one of the others, the one he had his foot in, then got in beside him, and Genis got into Raine's and took the paddle. Kratos glanced at Colette, who nodded, and they got into the third washtub, Kratos taking up the paddle. It was, after all, his _job_ to look after Colette.

Forcystus grabbed the paddle off Lloyd when they were halfway across, insisting that if he continued to paddle like that he was going to capsize the already precarious washtub. Lloyd noticed Raine go a lot greener at the mention of that, and he only protested mildly. He noticed that Kratos looked over at them a lot, and it worried him slightly. Had he done something wrong?

"We've… Finally arrived…" Raine murmured, stumbling out of the washtub as soon as they hit the wooden dock.

"Water came in and I thought we were going to sink!" Genis exclaimed, climbing out after Raine and kicking the washtub irritably. Lloyd jumped out excitably once his washtub hit the boards, and Forcystus exited slightly more calmly and secured the tub to the jetty. Kratos helped Colette out, regarding the washtub with amusement.

"That was a rare experience," he commented as Colette enthused about it. Forcystus shrugged, regarding the 'boat' with a critical eye.

"Rare, huh," he murmured. "That's… One word for it." Lloyd hit him playfully.

"You know you enjoyed it really," he teased. Forcystus shook his head.

"…You're hopeless," he decided. "I trust you are alright, Miss Sage?" Raine looked up at him, pale.

"Call me Raine," she replied, walking decidedly away from the washtub. "And yes, no thanks to your comments." Forcystus laughed.

"Very well, Raine," he replied. "You do realise we have to make a return journey?" She paled slightly. "Ah, don't worry," he added. "Lloyd and I will take the leaky boat, won't we?" Lloyd gave him a frightened look.

"Wh-what? Do we have to?" He replied. Forcystus smiled slightly.

"Yes, since you enjoyed it _so_ much," he replied. "The Geyser itself is up ahead. I presume you've come for the seal?"

"Seal? It's a Seal?" Colette asked. "Really?" Lloyd put on a sulky expression.

"I did say, like, three times," he pointed out. "But we've come to retrieve a Spiritua Statue that a Priest lost last year. If we give it to this guy at Hakonesia Peak he'll let us have a look at this record made by Spiritua." Forcystus nodded.

"I… See," he replied slowly. "That would be… Koton. He is a very stingy fellow. What do you need to look at Spiritua's writing for, anyway?" Lloyd grimaced.

"So we know where to find the Seals," he replied, making Forcystus laugh.

"You're aware that you could just ask me… Right?" He reminded him, and realisation hit Lloyd.

"Oh yeah!" He exclaimed. "Kratos, wait a second!" He ran over to the mercenary and had an enthusiastic conversation with him, which seemed to involve a lot of hand-waving and pointing on Lloyd's part, and a lot of frowning and uncertainty on Kratos'. Forcystus shook his head in despair.

"…Kratos says we should get the statue anyway," Lloyd reported back. Forcystus rolled his eyes.

"So you can give it back to wherever it came from. I know what I'm talking about," he replied.

They walked up to the geyser to look for the Spiritua statue, with Forcystus attempting to argue his case with an unamused-looking Kratos.

"Wow!" Lloyd exclaimed as he saw the geyser erupt. "That's amazing!"

"Lloyd, a geyser is a type of hot spring that periodically erupts with boiling hot water and water vapour," Genis told him. Lloyd went red.

"I… I knew that!" He protested. Forcystus went up to the fence and peered over, down into the geyser.

"I reckon you could freeze this," he decided. "There's the statue on the opposite side, look." He pointed across the geyser, where there was a sparkling given off by light reflecting off the halo. "Although…" The geyser erupted again. "You wouldn't have much time to fetch it." Genis ran over to a gap in the fencing.

"C'mon, Lloyd, I'll freeze the geyser," he told the swordsman, who nodded and ran over. "You'll only have as long as the ice will last. I reckon you won't have more than thirty seconds," he continued. "So you'll have to be quick."

"I'll direct you from up here," Forcystus offered. "I've got a fairly good view." He studied the arrangement of rocks. "There are a lot of rocks, so if you just sort of let yourself slide along the ice…" He suggested. "There should be enough for you to just slide in a straight line once you're out on the ice." Lloyd nodded.

"Ready?" Genis asked. Lloyd nodded. "Icicle!"

"Be careful," Raine told him as he stepped out onto the ice. "Even my healing arts have their limits!" Lloyd glared at her.

"You do have a habit of getting cocky. Be careful," Kratos warned, and Lloyd almost wasted time looking up to glare at him. Almost. But, he didn't have long between eruptions, and so decided that he could glare at Kratos once he'd got the statue; skidding himself along the rocks instead. He clambered up onto the ledge as the ice dissolved under the full force of the geyser's eruption and grabbed the statue.

"Yeah!" He celebrated. "I did it!"

"Well done," Forcystus remarked with a slight grin. Colette grinned.

"I knew we could count on you, Lloyd!" She remarked. Kratos looked at him sceptically.

"You still have to get back," he pointed out. Lloyd glared at him.

"I'll freeze it again," Genis decided. "You ready?" Lloyd nodded, and once Genis had frozen it he carefully made his way back across, keeping the statue in one hand. Once he was safely to the other side, he passed the statue to Raine triumphantly. Forcystus had gone over to the big sign just behind them, examining something behind it.

"Where are you going to put it?" Lloyd asked Raine. She held it up.

"I was hoping your Wing Pack would be of some use," she remarked. Lloyd nodded, fishing around in his pockets for it and holding it up, pressing the button in slightly. The Statue disappeared inside it.

"The only problem is, I'll probably have to get the Rheaird out with it…" He murmured.

"No, you just need to learn how to use it properly," Forcystus replied, resting his hand on the Oracle Stone. A rock at the top of the geyser moved, and a effervescent path appeared. Forcystus jumped backwards like he'd been scalded.

"Whoa!" Lloyd exclaimed, running up. "What's this?" Kratos walked up.

"…Looks like an Oracle Stone," He replied. "There was one at the Triet Ruins, too." Forcystus was looking at it as though it had done him a grave injustice.

"…Not possible…" He murmured. Lloyd shrugged, putting the Wing Pack back in his pocket, then drawing his hand out with a yelp.

"That feather… It's burning hot!" He exclaimed. Colette, Genis and Raine rushed up then.

"I thought only I could open those…" Colette murmured.

"Only you should be able to!" Forcystus yelled, unhappy. "Dammit, Yggdrasill, what have you _done_ to me?!" Kratos walked over to him and hit him, hard. Lloyd cried out in protest as Forcystus staggered back from the force of it, one hand on his face.

"Kratos! What the _hell_?" Lloyd demanded. Kratos made no sound, simply indicated up the path. Nervously, Colette headed up it, giving Kratos a scared look, and Raine and Genis followed quickly. "Kratos! Answer me!" Lloyd demanded.

"In," he told Lloyd sharply, and Lloyd walked forwards angrily, but Forcystus shook his head.

"Go," he murmured. Lloyd looked taken aback.

"But…" He murmured, but Kratos indicated the Seal irritably, and Lloyd stormed up it, angry. Forcystus looked after him, worried, one hand still on his cheek.

"Go," Kratos told him, his tone softer than expected. Forcystus glanced at him.

"…I didn't… Mean…" He murmured, but Kratos shook his head.

"Go. Lord Yggdrasill does not hear everything you say, and I am sure we can explain this to Lloyd. He sometimes provides his own explanations." Forcystus nodded slowly and walked up the ramp, still rubbing his cheek. Kratos cast a glance back, seeing the assassin from before run up, and walked up the ramp himself, before clicking his fingers. Reacting to the angelic trace within his body, the ramp disappeared, and he walked in without a backward glance.

"It looks like that girl didn't make it inside," Kratos murmured as Lloyd stormed up to him angrily.

"What girl?" He asked, thrown by the sudden remark.

"An assassin. She's after Colette. We met her once before on the Ossa Trail," Kratos replied.

"Th-there was someone following us?" Lloyd exclaimed, surprised. Kratos turned to him.

"You didn't notice?" He remarked. Lloyd glared.

"I was angry!" He replied. Kratos frowned.

"Never let your guard down, ever," he cautioned. "Presuming you want to survive." Lloyd glared at him angrily.

"Oh, yes, because you're _so_ perfect," he spat. "You'd _never_ screw up!" Strangely, a saddened look appeared in Kratos' eyes.

"…Even I make mistakes," he murmured softly. "I… Made a terrible one…" _Will you ever forgive me, Lloyd, when you find out what I am?_

"…What?" Lloyd asked simply.

"Lloyd!" Genis called from further in. "Don't fall behind!" Kratos closed his eyes and shook his head.

"…Nothing. I… Shouldn't have said that. Forgive me," he replied, walking on. Lloyd looked after him, bemused.

"…Forgive you?" He murmured. "What?" _You really don't make sense sometimes, Kratos…_ He ran to catch up with them, slowing to a walk when he drew level with Forcystus. "…Hey," he murmured. Forcystus looked up at him, an angry mark on his cheek from where Kratos had hit him.

"Hey," he returned. "This is the fifth summon spirit temple I've had to crawl around, you know." Lloyd frowned.

"You're not mad at Kratos?" He asked. Forcystus laughed.

"Should I be?" He asked. "I overreacted. He stopped me from doing… Or saying… Something foolish." Lloyd sighed.

"You're… An angel… Aren't you?" He asked softly. Forcystus laughed sadly.

"I am surprised it took you so long to discover it," he replied. "Yes, I am. As Lord Yggdrasill said." Lloyd put one hand on his shoulder, making him look at him in surprise.

"…I don't hate you," he murmured. "You seem to think I should. But I don't, you know? I don't care what you are, same for Colette. You're you. That's all, really." Forcystus sighed.

"…Lloyd…" He murmured. "Don't you ever lose sight of your innocence," he murmured, taking his hand off his shoulder gently. Lloyd blinked, confused, then smiled.

"Sure, I guess," he agreed readily. Forcystus chuckled softly.

"You are a strange human," he remarked, which made Lloyd laugh before running to catch up with the others.

"…You're weird," he called back as he reached Genis. Forcystus smiled slightly.

"Yes, Lloyd, you could say so," he murmured.

Lloyd made a surprised noise when he saw something he could put the Sorcerer's ring into, and he pounced on it instantly, wondering what it did. The ring flashed and he took it away, using its power. Water shot out of it.

"Oh, water!" He observed. Genis looked at the puddle Lloyd had created.

"The geyser would be a plentiful source of water, so maybe it reacted to that," Genis suggested. Lloyd nodded.

"Maybe," he murmured. "Well, it should come in handy later on." Raine nodded.

"Yes. We should be able to supply water to distant areas with this," she agreed. "And there are bound to be a few traps that need water. This is a Seal, a trial, and the Triet Ruins needed lamps to be lit. We were just lucky we had Genis and Kratos' magic then." Genis grinned proudly, but Kratos didn't seem to have registered the comment as a compliment. Lloyd ran forwards and to the right, Forcystus casting some swift magic from the back of the group to stop a water elemental killing him.

"Concentrate!" Kratos snapped at Lloyd, who had reached a broken memory circle.

"Hey, aren't these things meant to be lit up?" He wondered. Kratos walked up.

"We hardly have need of it," he murmured. Lloyd scuffed at the symbol on the ground with one foot, and Forcystus walked up and examined it.

"Forcystus?" Lloyd asked, confused, but the half-elf stood back, and glanced at Colette.

"Try using a feather," he suggested. "They can be useful in more ways than one." He smiled slightly at Lloyd, who looked away uncertainly. Colette spread her wings, pulled a feather out with a notable wince and dropped in onto the circle. White light rushed up from it.

"Wow!" She exclaimed. Raine frowned.

_How would a Desian know something like that? _She thought to herself, making a mental note to give him a thorough quizzing once they were back on the mainland. She paled slightly at the thought of the washtubs, and wrote the note down on a sheet of paper, just to be safe. Lloyd stepped into the Memory Circle, enjoying the rush of mana it produced.

"I've always thought these are cool," he remarked. Kratos shook his head, a slight despairing smile on his face.

"We haven't the time to be messing around with memory circles, Lloyd," he told him. "Unless you're so injured you have to hide from the monsters?" Lloyd shook his head, affronted. "Then let us continue on." Sulking, Lloyd walked out of the memory circle, muttering under his breath about stupid killjoy mercenaries.

Lloyd seemed to have a lot of fun slicing up the many fishy creatures that tried to put a stop to their quest for the seal.

"How do they swim in the air?" He asked, hacking a Float Dragon in half as Raine made a few notes on a piece of paper she'd produced from seemingly nowhere.

"Magic. They are creatures of mana," Kratos replied, killing a Water Elemental with a lightning spell. "The presence of water at this seal is so high; they do not necessarily have to be in the water to 'swim'." Lloyd nodded slowly.

"…Right…" He replied, clearly not having understood any of it. They went through a door, and Lloyd regarded the huge block as Kratos and Genis walked up to the scales. "…Well, everything about this screams 'trap'," he decided. Forcystus rolled his eyes and cast Air Blade on the rock, pushing forwards until it fell into a recess under the door.

"If in doubt, push the rock into the hole," he told Lloyd. "I've been around four of these temples, it works every time." Lloyd laughed as Genis used his magic to light the torches by the scales.

"Hey, the pot opened!" He exclaimed. Lloyd ran over.

"Cool!" He observed. "Maybe I could try filling it with water from the ring?" Kratos nodded, and Lloyd aimed the Ring at the pot and used its power. Water shot out of the ring, and a sizeable amount went into the pot, weighing it down. There was an ominous rumbling, and the whole group turned to see the door trying to close, only to be thwarted by the block.

"If in doubt, push the rock into the hole," Forcystus repeated with a smile on his face. Kratos shook his head slowly.

"Indeed," he murmured. "Let us hurry on." Lloyd nodded, and they backtracked into the cave and took the other exit, where a new platform was now visible. Lloyd made an excited noise upon seeing another memory circle, and walked over, going up to the edge and looking over to the water below. The memory circle reacted briefly as he stepped through it, but Lloyd barely noticed, disappointed by the lack of anything new over the edge of the platform.

"This place is all dark and humid," he complained. "Let's hurry up and get out of here!" Kratos walked in as Genis and Forcystus went up to another set of scales.

"We must release the seal first," he reminded Lloyd gently. Lloyd kicked the wall irritably.

"It's so… Wet, though!" He protested. "Nah, don't start, I know…" He walked up to Kratos. "To be honest, well…"

"You are bored?" Kratos asked, a slight smile touching his lips. Lloyd went red.

"Um, no, that's not it!" He protested. Kratos laughed softly and ushered Lloyd towards the scales.

"There isn't much more to do," he promised. "Use the Sorcerer's Ring to fill the pot like before." Lloyd nodded and did so, and there was a rumbling as a platform raised itself up to their level.

"A teleporter," Forcystus observed, walking over. "The Seal will be through here. It's practically guaranteed." Kratos walked over with Lloyd in tow.

"I would imagine so," he murmured. Lloyd walked onto it.

"Oh, it feels different…" He murmured, confused. Forcystus nodded.

"The mana here is almost completely water-oriented. In the Ranches it was electronically produced," he explained. Lloyd nodded.

"I get it… I guess…" He replied as Raine and Genis walked onto the teleporter, too. Kratos hit the button with his foot, and they were warped to a different area of the seal.

Colette walked up to the seal hesitantly when they arrived. Forcystus regarded it with a strange look in his eyes.

"…I should leave…" He murmured suddenly, but Kratos put a hand on his shoulder and wordlessly shook his head. It was too late for him to leave. Mana welled up from the Seal, and Lloyd drew his swords suspiciously.

"Be careful!" Kratos cautioned, drawing his own sword and motioning for Colette to stand behind him. "We will handle this." A mermaid-like creature along with two smaller ones appeared from the Seal, and the two underlings instantly flew at Lloyd, who beat them back. Colette cried out, rushing back to Raine who, typically, had a Magic Lens out and was scribbling information down in between casting healing and support spells. Genis was making good use of a spell he'd practised recently – Thunder blade. None of the creatures liked it.

"Atlas!" Forcystus yelled, a sphere of mana energy surrounding the main creature and pummelling it, making it yelp. Kratos finished the spell up with a lightning blade, and the creature flew back, irritated, as Lloyd killed the first underling with a Fierce Demon Fang.

"Light Spear!" Kratos cried, flinging himself up into the air with a whirl, and Lloyd whistled appreciatively. It looked impressive. Genis cast thunder blade on the second underling as Forcystus cast Cyclone, and Lloyd just stood back and let the magic work its… Magic.

"Holy wings, I beg of thee to reveal thy glory. Angel feathers!" Colette cried, razor-sharp feathers whipping past Lloyd and burying themselves in the main creature. Forcystus winced automatically, his hands shaking slightly for some inexplicable reason. He drew his sword, stopping using magic for the moment, and charged into the fray with Kratos, who instantly changed his tactic to accommodate the other swordsman. Lloyd backed up a little, watching. The two of them fighting together was more like a complex dance than a battle, and it made Lloyd appreciate just how little he knew. Kratos seemed to be able to change his tactics effortlessly depending on who he was fighting with.

Lloyd ran to Colette and pulled her into a Guardian as the large creature cast a water spell at them, and Forcystus glanced at Kratos and said something strange. Kratos nodded, and the two of them hacked upwards as one, following up with a sword rain in perfect tandem. The creature fell to the floor in pieces and summarily dissolved. Forcystus landed gracefully and sheathed his sword.

"That wasn't so bad," he observed mildly as Kratos shook the creature's blood from his blade and sheathed it also.

"It could have been worse," he agreed curtly. "Is something wrong, Lloyd?" The teen realised then that he'd been staring.

"Uh… No," he replied quickly. "Um, that was… Pretty cool." Forcystus laughed and went over to Lloyd.

"Don't you worry. You'll catch up with us in no time," he reassured him. Lloyd sighed, putting his own swords back into their scabbards as Colette approached the altar once more.

"_Chosen of Regeneration, you have done well. Now, offer your prayers at the altar,"_ The voice of Remiel spoke, and Lloyd jumped, surprised.

"Where did that come from?" He wondered aloud as Colette walked up, her angel wings spreading from her back.

"Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength!" Lloyd heard a soft derisive noise from Forcystus, not loud enough for Colette to hear, and a light pulsed down and Remiel appeared from it. Lloyd looked up at Forcystus, asking for an explanation of how he did it, but Forcystus just shook his head.

"You have done well, Chosen One, Colette," Remiel told her. "The second Seal is now released…" He trailed off, his eyes on Forcystus, but for some reason a glare from Kratos made him look away.

"Thank you, father," Colette murmured, not seeing this.

"…Accept this blessing from Cruxis. I hereby grant you additional angelic power," Remiel continued eventually, light flowing down into Colette's Cruxis Crystal.

"_~What a filthy liar_,~" Forcystus murmured. It was so quiet, even Lloyd, who was stood next to him, barely heard it. Kratos, stood further away, frowned at something, as did Remiel.

"Ah… Father?" Colette asked, confused, her wings giving off a stronger glow than before. Remiel blinked and corrected himself.

"…The next seal lies far north, in a place that gazes upon the end," he told her. "Offer your prayers at the altar in that distant land."

"Father, have I done something to displease you?" Colette asked, confused. Forcystus laughed softly.

"…It matters not," Remiel told her curtly. "All that is needed is for you to become an angel." Lloyd noticed with surprise that Forcystus was miming along with it. "I will be waiting for you at the next seal." Forcystus glanced at Lloyd, a slight smile on his face. "Colette… My daughter. Hurry and become a true angel." He had mouthed that last sentence. "Do not disappoint me."

"Because Cruxis so hates disappointments," Forcystus murmured. Remiel looked as though he were about to add something, but Kratos' look had become quite deadly. Light gathered about Remiel and he vanished in a glow of feathers, which fluttered to the floor around the seal. Forcystus, despite the look he got from Kratos, went forwards and picked one up, handing it to Lloyd.

"Why not start a collection?" He offered. Lloyd looked at him dubiously, but took the feather anyway. Colette smiled slightly at him, her wings still out.

"You can have one of mine, Lloyd!" She offered, reaching for a wing and pulling out a feather. "Ow!" She exclaimed. "That hurt more than I thought it would…"

"Colette!" Lloyd exclaimed, going over to her. "You didn't need… To…" He trailed off as Colette pressed the pink feather into his hand with a grin. Lloyd sighed. "Thanks, Colette," he murmured. "I wonder if there are any angels with blue wings…?"

"We should leave," Kratos snapped curtly, shooting Forcystus a dangerous look. The half-elf shrugged slightly and murmured under his breath, and Kratos' glare intensified.

"What's up with him? He always talks like he's so important," Genis muttered sulkily. Raine smacked him across the face.

"Apologise to Colette!" She hissed. Colette sighed, her wings disappearing.

"It's… It's alright. Father… Remiel really is like that," she murmured. Lloyd gave her a concerned look, and there was pity in Forcystus' eyes.

"Well… We should get going to the next seal, like Kratos said," Lloyd murmured. "Although he sure was cryptic… Maybe the record will help…"

"Stop complaining," Kratos admonished. Lloyd hung his head. "Let's get moving." He had given Colette a careful look, as though assessing something, and he turned abruptly and headed for the teleporter.

"…Why do you call him father?" Forcystus asked Colette quietly as they walked. Colette sighed.

"He… He is my father," she replied. "He said so." Forcystus smiled sadly.

"You know that he isn't, don't you?" He murmured. It was an observation, not a question. Colette hung her head.

"Please… Don't tell the others," she murmured. "I just want them to be happy… I want Lloyd to be happy…" Forcystus nodded, understanding.

"He is your reason for living this long," he murmured. Colette looked at him, confused. "I know more than you think about the journey of the Chosen, you know." She looked at him with a frown, clearly untrusting, and he sighed and ran a hand back through his hair. "It's hard on you, isn't it? This journey?" He asked, and Colette nodded, biting her lip. "I thought as much. I apologise for causing you such worry by holding Lloyd captive, Chosen." She looked up at him, confused. This Desian… This half-elf who should be trying to kill her… Was addressing her with respect and apologising? That made no sense. "Every angel is different," he murmured.. "Some can hide their wings, some can't. Some were once human, like you. Some were once half-elf. Maybe there are others, who knows?" He laughed softly. "You speak the angelic tongue, do you not?"

"I, um, I read it…" She murmured. Forcystus smiled sadly.

"It's largely phonetic, I think you'll find. ~_Do you understand this?~_" He said the last part in a flowing language, his voice taking on an almost holy quality. Colette gasped.

"You… You speak…" She stammered. Forcystus chuckled.

"It's a knack," he murmured. "I learnt it when I was just a boy. I wasn't a Desian then. In fact, I've only been a Desian twenty years or so. The first half of my life, I was just a half-elf… And where I lived, that wasn't much at all." He smiled at her. "Don't give up hope, Chosen. There is always a light at the end. Believe in Lloyd, he believes in you. And he knows more than you think, and he will always believe in you."

"…I know…" Colette mumbled. "I… I just want Lloyd to be able to live in a world where… Life is easy…" Forcystus nodded.

"Indeed. Let Sylvarant flourish!" He spread his arms. "For it has been a long time since it has. You are truly blessed, Chosen, to have the courage to continue on this journey when you know what awaits you at the end. Few others do." Colette smiled slightly, and Forcystus gave her an encouraging look, before slowing so he was at the back, closer to Raine and Kratos, the former giving him a suspicious glance, the latter a careful look. He shrugged. _You're hardly one to chastise me… Angel of Cruxis_, he thought, letting it pass with an easy smile.

* * *

**A/N** - First bit = not so good, last bit = better, imo. Please give me feedback, I do read it all ^^


	18. Chapter five: Angel Toxicosis

**Boo**

I squeezed in a chapter around coursework, 'specially for you guys ^^. This time we have... Well, that's a secret! Read it and find out^^

Now, I'm going to sound like I'm nagging, which I really don't want to do, but hey. I feel kinda... Lonely. Symphony has had 339 visitors this months according to the profile page. That's for two chapters, which had, like, 7 reviews. I'm not saying "review else I'll stop writing", that would be stupid, but this is for your benefit, guys. Tell me what you like, and I'll write more of it. Tell me if you think a part sucked - I'm not afraid of criticism if it's contructive and helps me inprove. Hell, I got an all-out flame once that helped. And also, a mini-shout out to all the people who used to review - let me know if you're still reading ^^ Even a simple "Good chapter, keep it up!" Makes my day a little better ^^ And also, I WILL read and respond to every review I get. Even a simple "great". Just look back for proof XD

Anyhow, sorry about that ^^ Feel free to ignore it if you like, I'm not overly fussed. I used to read and not comment, although now I like to review every story I liked enough. I am not, as they say, a "fave-and-run" *dAnerd*. I'm moving on now~~~

**Likeaglintoflight** - ^^ I'm trying to use Colette more, and Genis for that matter. Colette I've never been a fan of, so I'm hoping that by writing her more I'll be able to get more into a character that I never really explored much during the game. Genis I used, and was fond of... But he's surprisingly hard to write, at least for me. I really am trying to make an active effort to involve him. He is Lloyd's best friend, situation with Forcystus or no, and hell, he deserves the part. Please tell me if I'm doing any good

**The . Reaper .Game -** Yay, new reviewer ^^ And haha, you can read their relationship however you want, at least for now. All of the pairings in the story won't have a major impact on it. And also... The inspiration for the story was the song "Goodbye, My Lover" by James Blunt (Hate me if you will, people, I happen to like him), not that it means anything in terms of their relationship.  
I always did like Forcystus, from the very first time I played the game. At first it was shallow - hey, he was bishie - but then there was the whole Iselia Ranch schtick and I felt... So sorry for him. He was one of the least developed of the Cardinals :( Not that any of them had all that much... So I gave him a story.  
And yay, thank you for such nice words ^^ It's reviews like that that make me happy ^^

**ethargh - **Hey, you know it works ;) but trying to think of explanations for floating fish =/= way to spend your day. Seriously.

**WARNING:** I will be putting in an explanation for the Inhibitor bangle at the bottom of this chapter. There will be a warning in the A/N too. But if you don't want to know, take care XD

* * *

**Chapter five: Angel Toxicosis**

"…The path's gone," Lloyd observed, surprised, when they got out. Kratos made an irritated noise at such an obvious statement, making Lloyd fidget in embarrassment.

"It will respond to the Chosen I am sure," Kratos remarked abruptly, making Lloyd feel even more belittled.

"Yeah, but where did it _go_?" He pushed, determined to get an answer even if it did mean he was more humiliated. Kratos sighed wearily.

"The path is designed to react to the Chosen's angelic signature," he responded. "When the Chosen is safely within the Seal – and therefore a certain distance from the Oracle Stone – it will most likely remove the path for added safety of the Chosen." Colette looked at him, confused, and Raine gave him a searching look.

"An interesting _theory_," she decided. Kratos' look was unreadable.

"Be that as it may, the Chosen needs to reactivate the path for us to return," he decided coldly. Lloyd nodded in agreement at that.

"Yeah, Colette," he remarked. "It's what you do, right? You're the Chosen!" He clapped his hands together as Colette stepped forwards and the path reappeared. Kratos glanced from him to Colette, concerned and worried.

_Not you, Lloyd, _he thought, watching him for any signs of angelic manifestation. _Please not you._ Forcystus sighed softly, glancing at the translucent-blue path, and looked up at Kratos, who shook his head almost imperceptibly. Lloyd, oblivious to this exchange, ran down the path with Genis, Colette following soon after.

"So," Raine started as the three followed. "You think the Oracle Stones are activated by Angelic Mana?" She asked Kratos pointedly. He glanced at her.

"…It's only a theory," he responded evenly, noting but not responding to the desperate look Forcystus threw at him. "How else would they respond to the Chosen, and no other?" Raine hmmed, running a finger over her chin as she considered it.

"But that doesn't explain how Forcystus could activate the path when we first entered," she reminded him. Forcystus made a frustrated noise, kicking the ground angrily, another action which Kratos noted then ignored.

"As I said, it was only a theory," he told her. "I do not claim to be a well of knowledge on the topic of Cruxis, and derivatives thereof." Forcystus laughed softly under his breath, and Raine looked at him.

"Do you have anything to add?" She asked drily. He glanced at her.

"No," he replied. "Nothing at all."

* * *

Colette managed to get almost down to the dock before stumbling and falling, only just managing to save herself from tumbling straight into the sea by putting her hands out in front of her. Lloyd made a noise of shock, rushing over to help her.

"Professor! Colette's sick!" He exclaimed, reaching for the first explanation he could find. He looked at her anxiously. "Are you ok?" He asked her, worried. "It wasn't the fight at the Seal, was it? Or…"

"Again?" Genis cut in, walking up with Raine. Lloyd looked up at him in puzzlement as Raine put a hand to Colette's forehead and frowned. Her temperature was normal.

"Yeah," Genis replied. "She collapsed right after we released the first Seal, too. Just after we got out of the ruins." Lloyd looked back at Colette with concern on her face.

"We must let her rest immediately," Raine decided, standing back up. "She cannot continue on in this state." Kratos had a strange look on his face; as though this were something he had seen many times before and was sick of it. Lloyd noticed it out of the corner of his eye, although it meant nothing to him then.

"Time to set up camp, then, I would think," Kratos offered softly. "Although I think it would be best to get the Chosen back to the mainland first. As much as their… 'boats' may not be good for her…" His eyes fell on Forcystus, who shook his head and took a step back, and Kratos simply looked back at the Washtubs. Raine caught the glance, but was too late to see the half-elf's strange fear. "…But we have little choice," Kratos finished, walking over and picking Colette up, allowing Lloyd to stand too.

"Yes, but if this is going to happen every time Colette releases a Seal, she is going to have a very difficult time ahead of her," Raine agreed, taking out her ever-present notebook and making some notes absently. "For the time being, I'll call the phenomenon Angel Toxicosis. I'll keep an eye on her condition and see if I can spot any patterns to the development of the illness," she decided. Lloyd looked from her to Colette.

"Is it… Going to get worse?" He asked quietly. Colette made a weak noise, trying to speak but not having the energy, and pity flashed in Kratos' eyes.

_I would fly you over the water if I dared show my true self, Chosen,_ he thought, glancing down at her briefly. "Lloyd, I want you to take care of her," he told Lloyd, whose look changed from deep concern to shock in mere moments.

"What, me?" He asked, looking highly dubious. Forcystus walked up and put an arm out as if to stop Kratos, a similarly dubious look on his face.

"He nearly capsized the boat! Are you crazy?" He argued, looking rather angry. "He's the _last_ person you should put her with if you're concerned for her safety-" Lloyd glared at him, and Kratos nodded.

"True," he agreed, making Lloyd's glare shift to him. "However, what the Chosen needs right now is Lloyd. I am certain he will not be so… Reckless… With her as a passenger." Lloyd's glare abated at that, and he nodded solemnly, going over to Kratos and taking Colette from him. She smiled weakly up at him.

"I'll take care of you, I promise," he told her softly, going over to the closest washtub and laying her down in it gently. Kratos nodded in approval, the slightest of smiles visible on his face at the transformation in the normally careless Lloyd when a friend was in danger..

"…So you will have to ride with me," he told Forcystus, who winced.

"…It would seem so…" The half-elf replied with a sigh, resigned.

* * *

Colette sat up slightly when Lloyd was about halfway back.

"Colette!" He exclaimed. "Are you ok? Does it hurt?" Colette smiled weakly.

"…I'm fine," she murmured. "It'll go away soon… I'm sorry for causing you worry…" Lloyd shook his head, glancing up briefly to make sure he didn't capsize the washtub.

"Hey, hey, that's enough!" He told her with a kind smile. "Don't apologise! You're the one that's ill, all right?" Colette laughed weakly.

"I'm sorry," she apologised, making Lloyd shake his head again.

"Man, you just don't get it," he told her playfully, glancing over at the others. Forcystus was sat behind Kratos with a slightly glazed expression on his face, and the mercenary was saying something to him that Lloyd couldn't hear. Raine seemed to be trying to hide from the water, and Genis had to paddle their washtub. Needless to say, all of them except perhaps Kratos were relieved when they hit dry ground.

* * *

"Never… Again…" Raine groaned as she stumbled out of the washtub and onto dry land. Lloyd laughed slightly as he picked Colette up and carefully got out of the washtub; a silent Kratos taking her from him once he was stood straight. Forcystus went over to Raine and murmured something to her that made her shoot him a glare, but still allow him to help her up.

"I shall go and find us a suitable location to stay in," Kratos murmured, walking off with Colette in his arms. Lloyd looked after him, confused. He never seemed to be able to settle on a mood!

"Well, I sure don't want to repeat that again in a hurry," Forcystus remarked, walking over to Lloyd and standing by him, watching Kratos walk off with Colette. "And I thought I'd seen everything!" Lloyd laughed.

"You've never seen everything," he replied with a nod. Forcystus chuckled at that.

Genis had run after Kratos, to help out if he needed it, and Raine, Lloyd and Forcystus followed more slowly, the latter two talking absently until Raine made the executive decision to interrupt their conversation.

"You held your own quite well in the temple," She told Lloyd suddenly. "I was quite pleased." Lloyd looked up in surprise, running a hand through his hair in embarrassment.

"Ah, well, it's just what Forcystus taught me…" He mumbled as an excuse, looking up at the half-elf to save him from the situation. Forcystus laughed.

"Lloyd, you fight yourself. All I'm responsible for is giving you the incentive," he replied honestly enough. Raine looked at him searchingly, and he shrugged. "Besides, all I really taught you was what you would have discovered for yourself, in time," he added. Lloyd looked up at him jealously.

"When you fought with Kratos…" He murmured. "That was just… Perfect. I want to be able to fight like that." Forcystus chuckled, smiling at him.

"Maybe when you've lived a little longer and trained a little more," he replied knowingly. Lloyd pouted.

"Kratos isn't that much older than me!" He protested. Forcystus' look took on a sad aspect, and he sighed.

"…No, of course not…" He agreed. "But he has still had… More experience." Raine looked at him suspiciously, trying to remember all the times she had seen him with Kratos. She had become more and more distrustful of the mercenary the more they travelled, and if Forcystus had some connection…

The half-elf shrugged. "You'll get better in time. Even Kratos and I are still learning," he remarked. Lloyd scuffed the floor with his foot, muttering something about not believing it, and Kratos walked up to them. That ended the discussion on the spot.

"I will take the watch for the night," he told them. "Genis has kindly started a campfire. We shall rest here until tomorrow, to be certain that the Chosen has recovered from her affliction." Lloyd nodded.

"She needs to get some sleep," he decided. Kratos and Forcystus winced slightly in unison, making Raine give them strange looks, but Lloyd was too busy going over to Colette to notice.

"I'll take first watch if you like," Forcystus offered. "If it's any easier on you." Kratos looked at him.

"…Do what you wish," he responded, walking over to Lloyd and telling him sternly not to harass the Chosen when she was ill. Raine smiled slightly.

"He's almost like a father," she remarked. "Stern, yet caring." Forcystus looked at her.

"You speak as though I would know," he muttered bitterly. Raine sighed.

"An orphan?" She murmured. Forcystus nodded, once. "I'm… Sorry." Forcystus laughed coldly.

"Don't be sorry," he told her. "It's my parents' killers who should be sorry." He looked across at Kratos, who was cooking something for Colette, trying to ward off the ever-enthusiastic Genis, the look in his eyes unreadable.. "But my Lord Yggdrasill is never sorry for anything. He believes himself above it all." Even as he said it, his eyes never left Kratos, who glanced up at him, meeting his cold, hard look with an equally passive one. Forcystus looked away as Raine made a shocked noise.

"You… You work for the man who killed your parents?" She repeated, horrified. Forcystus nodded absently.

"Yes," he replied. "Although my participation in the organisation is… Somewhat forced, I became a Grand Cardinal because I wanted to." He laughed bitterly. "You don't trust me, do you? I can tell by the look in your eyes." Raine bit her lip, looking away slightly. "That's fine. I don't mind. Lloyd is far too trusting for his own good. I'm a Desian. No denying that, it's fact. Treat me like a Desian," he reassured. She frowned, looking at him as though he were crazy.

"If there were a Desian here now I'd kill them," she informed him bluntly. "Do you want to die?" Forcystus shook his head, a strange look in his deep red eyes.

"No," he replied quietly. "Although death is inevitable, in the end." Lloyd was talking to Colette as the sun set, Kratos looking up at the sky with a frown as Genis made several comments about his cooking. "I do not fear death, but I do not wish for it, either." Raine looked at him.

"Why do you not fear it?" She asked, walking over to the side and sitting down. Forcystus followed her.

"Because I doubt hell can throw anything at me that I haven't already been through in life," he replied. "If there even is a hell. I'd never go to… Hah, _heaven_… With the things I've done. Although heaven is a veritable hive of sinners." Kratos glanced over at them, a frown still on his face. "_~Sorry~_," Forcystus whispered, and Kratos' frown deepened and he looked away. "You don't trust him either, I gather?" Raine shook her head.

"There's something about him that's just… Not right," she replied. "I don't mean his mana, he's human, but… Something…" Forcystus nodded slowly, looking over at the mercenary, whose gaze had shifted to Lloyd. With a sigh, he walked over to Noishe and sat down, not even glancing over at them.

"Indeed," Forcystus agreed. "He does give off quite the scent of mana. Perhaps your distrust would be wisest." Raine glanced at him, and, after a short wait, turned to him.

"That feather, that you gave to Lloyd. Where did you get it from?" She demanded, taking the offensive. Forcystus looked at her, his eyes hiding any emotion.

"I don't think you've the right to demand such things from me," he told her coldly. She glared at him.

"I've the right to know, if it may pose a threat to Colette," she argued back.

"It won't," Forcystus replied bluntly. "No angel will harm Colette. Ever. Unless she… Falls from grace." Raine frowned.

"Falls from grace?" She repeated. Forcystus was looking out over the scenery, a haunted look in his eyes.

"I've said too much," he murmured. "If I talk too freely I may well bring Lord Yggdrasill down on your heads. That I do not wish at all. It would be quite the bloodbath."

"With Kratos watching over us, and Lloyd so determined?" Raine asked. Forcystus laughed.

"Yes, even then," he murmured. "…So cold…" He stood up. "I will leave you be. I am sure you would not like to associate with a Desian, Miss Sage. After all, elves wouldn't want to associate with a scummy half-breed like me." Genis looked up sharply as Raine sighed softly, looking at the floor almost guiltily. He smiled slightly at her. "Know this. I will protect Lloyd with my life. I've… Orders. Plus, he deserves it. And I have wronged him by forcing him to the Ranch." He turned abruptly and walked away.

* * *

Lloyd woke up later that night, no reason immediately apparent to him. He blinked sleepily, casting about for what had woken him. Kratos was sat by Noishe, the watch as he'd said, and Genis, Raine and Forcystus were all sleeping, albeit with Forcystus a lot further away than the rest of them. He frowned and sat up when he noticed Colette, stood further off and very much awake. He got up, causing Kratos to glance over at him for a second, and walked over to her.

"Colette, you're still up?" He asked her softly, putting one hand on her shoulder. She turned around, smiling.

"I couldn't sleep," she replied with a quiet laugh and a bright smile.

"You may feel better now, but you still need to rest," Lloyd told her gently, unable to believe that the normally sensible Colette would be pushing herself.

"Oh, I know," she replied, still smiling. "I'll go to sleep in a little bit. Don't worry!" Lloyd frowned. Colette was being overly cheerful, even for her.

"But, still…" He protested, wincing as one of the collection of feathers in his pocket flared red-hot. He frowned, reaching into his pocket until he located the offending feather. He pulled it out; it was Forcystus'. "Weird," he murmured, as Forcystus mumbled something in his sleep.

"Kratos is still up," Colette pointed out. Lloyd sighed, glancing over at the mercenary.

"That's because _he_ volunteered to be the night watch," he reminded her. "You need to rest." Colette looked slightly downcast.

"…Okay," she agreed eventually. Lloyd sighed.

"Okay," he told her. "…I'm a bit worried about Forcystus, so… Good night." Colette smiled at him again.

"Good night," she replied happily, sighing as Lloyd walked away. "…Dream some good dreams for me, Lloyd…" Kratos glanced over at her, stood up and walked over.

"Chosen, can you not sleep?" He murmured. She looked up at him.

"Um… Well, it's…" She started. Kratos sighed, a look on his eyes that said 'I share your pain'. Colette frowned slightly.

"If you cannot sleep, you should count the stars," he suggested, spreading one arm to indicate the heavens. "Although… A human life is… Far too short to count them all…" When Colette looked at him, she saw such a sadness in his eyes that she wanted to step away, give him space. She fought the urge.

"…Yes…" She murmured. Kratos sighed, looking up at the sky.

"Chosen… Sleep well," he told her softly. There was a hidden regret in his voice when he said 'sleep well', and Colette looked at him, not daring to tell him she couldn't. He seemed to know, besides.

* * *

"Hey, Forcystus…" Lloyd murmured, walking up to the sleeping half-elf with his feather in one hand. Forcystus made an unintelligible noise in his sleep. "…You having a nightmare? Or… What, hey?" Forcystus' hand shot out and grabbed Lloyd's arm in a death grip, but the half-elf was still asleep. Lloyd made a noise of shock.

"…No… Sleep…" Forcystus whispered in his sleep. "Not for… Us…"

"F-Forcystus," Lloyd murmured, worried by the strength of the half-elf's grip.

"Only… Pain…" Forcystus' eyes opened, but Lloyd could tell by the look in them that he was still sleeping. "So much… Pain… Little angel…" Lloyd tried to pull away.

"I'm not an angel. Forcystus, wake up. Please. You're scaring me…" He murmured.

"Purity…" Forcystus hissed. "White… Wings…" Lloyd noted that there was blood running down his arm, but Forcystus hadn't cut into his skin, so it had to be…

"Forcystus! Wake up!" He shouted, and Kratos looked over, walking up. "Forcystus!"

"Lloyd," Kratos murmured, making the teen look at him. "You will wake the others." He knelt by Forcystus and smacked him. Forcystus jerked awake as Lloyd started to protest.

"…Wha…?" He murmured, his grip on Lloyd loosening and falling. "I was… Dreaming… An…" He looked at Lloyd. "…Impossible…" Kratos frowned.

"You made Lloyd make quite the fuss," he murmured. "I have a watch to be doing." He stood and walked back over to Noishe, who whined softly at him and nudged him. Kratos said something to him softly, and he leant his head on his paws and huffed.

"You're bleeding! Did I hurt you?" Forcystus asked Lloyd, worried. Lloyd shook his head.

"I'm… Not," he murmured. Forcystus looked at his hand; it was covered in drying blood.

"…Damn," he muttered. "Why is this happening now…?" He pushed the bangle up his arm. "Lloyd… I'm sorry. Did I startle you?"

"Just a little," Lloyd replied, taking his glove off. "I can wash the blood out, though, it's alright. How can you bleed without any wounds?" Forcystus sighed.

"Lloyd, there are wounds. You just… Can't see them," he replied.

"Is it because of… Because you're…" Lloyd started. Forcystus glanced around, despite Lloyd' shouting, Raine and Genis were still sleeping, and Colette was turned away from them, feigning the sleep Forcystus knew she couldn't have.

"Because of… This," Forcystus murmured, doing something he hadn't done since he was a young child. He spread his wings.

"F-Forcystus!" Lloyd exclaimed, shooting a glance at Kratos with worry. Forcystus laughed, raising a hand to show feathers sprouted from it.

"That's what makes my hand bleed," he explained. The tips of his white wings were stained red with blood, too. "I've been hiding for too long, you see. You could call it my personal variation of Angel Toxicosis." Lloyd reached out for his wings in awe, before catching himself and pulling his hand back. Forcystus smiled sadly, moving one wings forward. Despite seeming to be made of pure light, Lloyd could see that, close up; there were feathers in his wings, generating the eerie, effervescent light that seemed to emit from them. "I don't mind," Forcystus told Lloyd softly, and Lloyd reached out and touched his wings. He couldn't help but get the feeling that he was violating Forcystus somehow, even though the half-elf had given his consent. The Desian sat there, unmoving, as Lloyd ran his fingers over the slightly bloodied feathers at the edge of his wings.

"They're… So…" Lloyd murmured, unable to come up with a word to describe them. Forcystus laughed softly as Lloyd moved backwards abruptly. "I shouldn't…" He murmured.

"I said I didn't mind, Lloyd," Forcystus replied, turning to him properly, looking at his hands. "It's been a long time since I last… Stopped hiding." Lloyd looked at him uncertainly, and Forcystus, reading his expression well, held out his hand. Lloyd bit his lip, but ran one finger down the feathers. He saw the half-elf close his eyes, felt him physically repress a shudder, and he moved his fingers away quickly.

"I'm sorry," he apologised in a rush. Forcystus shook his head.

"Don't worry," he murmured. "It's not you." He lowered his hand, and with a flash of mana, his wings faded. "It's… Memories."

"Memories?" Lloyd asked. "You mean… Yggdrasill…?" Forcystus shivered.

"…I…" He murmured, shaking his head softly. Lloyd remembered how callously the angel had slashed at Forcystus, how coldly he had spoken of taking everything away from the half-elf.

"It's… Alright," Lloyd murmured. "It's not a bad thing to be afraid." Forcystus looked at him, confusion betrayed in his eyes. "Yggdrasill scares you, I know," Lloyd murmured. "But… It's alright to feel fright. It shows that you're… Um…"

"Human?" Forcystus finished for him, a sad smile on his face. "It's not that I'm ashamed of it, Lloyd. I've had to hide it. For… Safety." Lloyd nodded slowly.

"So they don't find out about what you are? That's what it's all about, isn't it?" Forcystus nodded. "Yggdrasill wants you to be an angel for… Something, I don't know… And if any of them find out you are… He'll take you to…"

"Derris-Kharlan," Forcystus replied.

"Heaven," Kratos cut in, walking up. Lloyd made a surprised look and scurried backwards slightly, but Forcystus didn't move. "No?" Forcystus looked at the floor.

"~_Heaven is a place for sinners to repent~,_" he replied in angelic. Lloyd frowned, not having understood the sentence. "~_It is a place of pain and lifelessness.~_ To Derris-Kharlan," he repeated in normal speech.

"It's not a place for humans," Lloyd murmured. "…Did you see, Kratos?"

"His wings? Yes," Kratos replied. "You're certainly quite the master of disguise, _Desian_." Even Lloyd flinched back at the hatred in his tone.

"Yes, _mercenary_," Forcystus replied, looking up at him and meeting his gaze. Kratos laughed.

"And why is a Desian an angel?" He asked. Forcystus murmured something in angelic that Lloyd didn't understand, and stood up.

"Lloyd," he whispered. "I'm sorry." Lloyd frowned.

"For what?" He asked. "I don't speak… Angel." Forcystus smiled sadly.

"No sleep for the wicked," he murmured. "We've a journey ahead of us tomorrow, Lloyd. You should get some sleep."

"Or you'll be quite the hypocrite," Kratos added. Lloyd glared at them.

"Stop treating me like a little kid!" He protested. "You both do it! I don't need it!" Kratos sighed.

"Stop throwing a tantrum, then," he replied with a soft smile, walking back over to Noishe. Forcystus watched him go as Lloyd fumed.

"I was going to sleep, too, if I can do so without being haunted by nightmares," he murmured, lying back. "Sleep well." Lloyd sighed, walking back over to where he had been sleeping. Forcystus made almost as little sense as Kratos sometimes.

* * *

**A/N - **So, what do you think to the wings? ^^ Idonothaveawingobsession*shifty look* But I think his wings are the... Second to appear in Symphony! Next should be Lloyd's, for all you Angel-Lloyd-lovers.

**Warning! Inhibitor description below! Scroll down if you don't want to read!**

The Inhibitor - i.e., the bangle that Forcystus always wears on his non-cannon(sword) arm, is essentially a ring of Inhibitor Ore. However, it has been specially refined (Not by Dirk, however - by Altessa) and combined with... Something that escapes me right now (I don't have any of my story notes on me ^_^"). It has a passage carved on it in Angelic tongue which reads "Let they who wish to live in shadows remain unseen." It suppresses the Angelic signature given out by Forcystus' body, helping him to hide his wings and (although clearly, it hasn't been working as well lately) stop things such as oracle stones reacting to him.  
The bangle was given to him by Kratos, when he was travelling with Anna and a baby Lloyd, and is part of the reason why Forcy owes the angel a "favour". The bangle itself was made for Anna, and since Kratos and she were on there way to get a Runce Crest crafted for her at the time, they both agreed that it was a good thing to give it to him.

**End of description ^^**

So, I think that's everything... The next chapter may well be a long one, but I'll try not to make you wait too long for it ^^ Please review with your thoughts ^^


	19. Chapter six: False Spirits

**Hi guys!** Chapter's a little late this week but that's FINE! Because I think it's the second-longest chapter yet. So that makes it better, yes? I hope so

I only have one week of school left before coursework stops eating me and it's the easter holidays. Hoorah for the holidays! Howeverrrr... I have no electricity for half of Saturday this weekend. How much does that suck?

**Special Mention** must go to my super-awesome beta, freakyanimegirl, who spotted a... _slight_ plothole *shifty look* in this chapter, which I've fixed. I Will Update My Plot Notes In Future. Thankyou XD

Woo, six reviews! ^^ I love you guys ^^

Serenity Rains - thankyou for the long review ^^ Good point about Genis... He _is_ complex, I think all of the half-elves especially seem to be. That's one thing I always loved about ToS - the people were _real_, they didn't fit stereotypes (much *cough*). As for writing it - it's not 100% spur-of-the-moment, I know where I want to go with it and what's going to happen, but a lot of the smaller parts are spontaneous. So it's kinda half and half.

The. Reaper. Game - thinks your name is a web address Firstly - I typo'd. It's a Rune Crest. I'm very sorry if that confused anyone  
DotNW has your OTP in it? I didn't really look into it much... I don't have a Wii and it's not coming out over in good old England anyway, sooo... All I did was save pictures of Yuan in his suit I am that shallow. What is your OTP?  
(If they DID do a backstory game, it would spit on my story like a lot of plot elements from DotNW did. I kept Yuan's name, sure, but he's not from Asgard in this fic. In fact, I had to edit one plot point because of his name... Stupid extra plot details that I actually like but mess up my story...)

Kirimori - by hand feathers, I mean like Yggdrasill has, those feathers between the fingers? They're kinda hard to describe. No, Kratos doesn't know how much Lloyd knows, he wouldn't be all that pleased if he did XD And if I do repeat words, it's probably because I stopped then started writing in between the sentences. I have to squeeze in writing in between schoolwork/coursework right now - I'm in my final year of non-University education and it's nearly exam season y'see...

Symphoniafan - only because he'd be a tad surpirsed to learn that a certain mercenary is actually an angel XD But about Forcystus - he **never** says anything by accident. Ever. Those hints are all purposeful XD

Skeddadle-san - Hee hee, thanks. Well, it IS true that all the sexy boys have wings XD And since Freaky is my beta, I know allll about the wing obsession XXD

Likeaglintoflight - It's not the same as Colette's AT, he was just using that as a comparison for Lloyd to understand. He's suffering from it because he's kept his wings forcefully hidden for a good nintey percent of his life, and his body isn't designed to cope with that, so he... Bleeds, kinda. That's why kis wings are tipped with blood :S Good times ^^  
The feather he gave to Lloyd **was** white, I promise you XD Kratos' are blue, Colette's are pink, Yuan's are pink-blue, Zelos are Orange, Yggy's are Purple (or raaaiiiinbows, depending...) and Lloyd's are also white. For reference, like. Lloyd has one of Colette's and one of Forcy's... I think... But he's going to have a whole collection before the end of the fic XD  
(Did I miss out an angel in there?)

**Disclaimer for the hell of it:** All I own is an imagination, Namco owns the game that I put it to use on. Unfortunately because then they go and do things like make Yuan come from Asgard (grr... I made Yuan and Kratos come from Heimdall and Mithos and Martel from someplace else... And I don't care what Namco say, it's the truth!)

* * *

Chapter six: False spirits

"Raine," Forcystus started the next morning as she finished checking Colette over.

"You're fit to travel," she decided, before turning to Forcystus. "Yes?"

"I need to have a word with you," he told her. "Bring your map." Raine frowned slightly, but stood up and followed Forcystus away.

"What is it?" She asked eventually.

"Map. Spread it out," he told her. She frowned.

"You have no right to order me around," she informed him bluntly. He sighed, running one hand through his hair in a stressed way.

"Look, I'm trying to help," he told her. "Spread the map out and I'll save you a journey." Raine looked cnfused, but did as he asked anyway.

"There," she remarked. "One map." Forcystus sighed.

"The Seal of Wind is here," he told her, pointing to the Balacruf Mausoleum. "This is the Seal of Light. And you know fire and water now."

"The Tower of Mana…" Raine murmured slowly. "…And the Balacruf Mausoleum." She looked up at him. "How do you know this? You're a Desian."

"Exactly," Forcystus replied sadly. "Look, it's… Complicated. Suffice to say that I know what I'm talking about." Raine looked dubious.

"…So we didn't need that statue, then," she remarked. "I will trust that your information is accurate for now… But! If you are wrong…" Forcystus looked affronted at that, folding his arms as she folded up the map.

"I am not lying to you," he replied. "I have nothing to gain from lying to you. I am on your side now, surely you must know that?"

"You are the one who said you would go back to being a Desian," Raine retorted. Forcystus winced.

"…The circumstances surrounding who I am and what I do are also complicated," he murmured. "Oh, but one thing. There's a special tablet that you need to access the Oracle Stone at the Balacruf Mausoleum. I believe they keep it in Asgard, but…"

"Then that shall be our next stop," she decided. "Via the House of Salvation, to give them their statue back, of course." Forcystus smiled slightly.

"Oh, of course," he agreed.

"There's been a slight change of plan," Raine told the group once they were ready to leave. "We're going to the House of Salvation today as planned, but the day after we will proceed straight to Asgard. Forcystus has given me all the information we need to find the Seals."

"Told you," Lloyd told Kratos triumphantly, sticking his tongue out at the mercenary. Kratos shook his head in despair at his antics.

"Colette, I would like you to ride on Noishe today," Raine added. "Just in case the Toxicosis returns." Colette looked disappointed at that.

"But, Professor, I'm fine, really!" She protested. Raine shook her head.

"No buts," she replied firmly. "You're going on Noishe."

The Priests at the House of Salvation were very welcoming, if abashed, when they returned. They were also highly surprised when Lloyd offered them the Spiritua Statue.

"But, Chosen, we thought you needed that?" The Priest asked, confused.

"The situation has changed," Raine responded. "We have overcome the problem that we needed the Statue for by another method. Please, feel free to display the true statue again."

"You can put the one my dad made upstairs," Lloyd suggested helpfully. Kratos flinched.

"Perhaps…" The Head Priest mused. "Yes, I like that idea! Thank you so much, Chosen and companions. We are indebted to you."

"Nah, it was nothing," Lloyd told them affably. "We needed to go to the Geyser anyway, right, Forcystus?"

"Mmm," Forcystus agreed, clearly not liking having the attention turned on him.

"Oh, is this a new companion?" The Priest asked. "You are most welcome at our House of Salvation, most welcome!" Forcystus chuckled.

"I'm sure," he replied. "I'm sure."

They started out towards Hakonesia Peak the next day, Colette still designated to Noishe. She accepted it this time, but still seemed a little guilty about not walking with the others.

Kratos had been accosted by Lloyd, who was quizzing him in an enthusiastic manner about all sorts of things that Kratos didn't particularly want to be asked about, so Forcystus was walking at the back of the group with the half-elven siblings.

"…You're awful quiet," Genis remarked as they walked. Forcystus glanced at him.

"Is that so?" He murmured. "You're awful observant." Genis winced at having his wording turned on him.

"Well…" He started, before shaking his head. "What did you _do_ to Lloyd in the Ranch?" Forcystus looked a little taken aback at the sudden question.

"What?" He asked, confused. "Nothing whatsoever, besides teach him a few things. He was a prisoner. I… Stuck him in a cell and left him there, for the most part. Why? Do you think I harmed him?" Genis shook his head slowly.

"He trusts you too much for that… But it's just… You're a Desian…" He reasoned, confused. Forcystus gave him a look.

"Is every Desian automatically evil?" He asked the young magician. "Some have no choice, you know. It's either be a Desian or be hunted down like an animal by the humans." Genis sighed.

"I just… It's something everyone seems to believe, that it's all the fault of the Desians… Of the half-elves. Everything that's wrong…" Raine gave her brother a careful look, and he stopped. Forcystus nodded.

"Indeed. No matter where you go, we're filthy," he replied. "I am evil, I suppose, in your opinion of the word at least. I've caused a lot of suffering." Genis bit his lip. "I would imagine living in Iselia was nice for you," he continued. "I apologise, I believe my incompetent and rather foolish soldiers burned your house down."

"And tried to kill me," Genis muttered, clearly sore about that. Forcystus shrugged.

"It's because they're idiots," he replied. "I do not believe they understood the word 'no' in the sentence 'no burning things'. Really, I ask you. The education level in my Ranch seems to be quite abysmally poor. If they cannot understand one third of my sentences…"

"You still call the Ranch 'yours'," Raine observed. "Would you go back?" Forcystus nodded.

"Of course," he replied. "It's mine. I'm a Grand Cardinal." Genis and Raine both gave him looks that could have burned. "Oh… Ouch," he remarked. "I'm sorry, was that not the answer you wanted?" Raine sighed irritably.

"You don't make things any easier on yourself," she remarked, frustrated. Forcystus shrugged absently, clearly unconcerned.

"I'm hated automatically, you know, on account of the race thing," he told them. "What's to be gained by lying? I _am_ a Desian, and if I'm not killed I'll be dragged back there eventually." He sighed, running one hand through his hair. "I do doubt I'll see my Ranch again, however. I'm on the run now!" He laughed slightly. "Only way out of this for me now is death, I would think. Or the joys of Derris-Kharlan."

"Derris… Kharlan?" Genis asked slowly, having never heard of the place before – an unusual occurrence for him. Forcystus nodded.

"Indeed," he replied. "It is where the leader of the Desians dwells. Not a place for respectable people I will say, not wishing any offense on Lord Yggdrasill."

"Why treat him with such respect?" Raine asked softly. Forcystus shook his head slowly.

"…Because I dare not do differently," he replied. Raine sighed, looking over her shoulder to check for monsters.

"…Well… Maybe," she murmured. "And… Thank you," she added, looking at him. Forcystus smiled at her.

"Whatever for?" He asked. "Elves associating with half-elves, my, whatever next!" He shook his head softly. "Heimdall… Such an antisocial place…" Raine gave him a shocked look, but he fell silent and said nothing more no matter how the pair harassed him.

"Do you have a Road Pass?" The guards demanded as the group approached the mountain pass. Lloyd was about to protest, but Kratos silenced him, producing a pass.

"Chocolat dropped it," he informed him softly. "I thought it would be wise to pick it up." The guard examined it.

"You may proceed," he decided with a nod.

"Good journey to you!" The other guard added. Lloyd walked through muttering about extortionate prices and using people, but they got to the other side of the pass without incident.

"Asgard's round here somewhere, right?" Lloyd asked Forcystus, who nodded.

"Behind the mountain there. The Ranch is up there." He pointed, and Lloyd narrowed his eyes in hatred, as did Kratos, not that any of them noticed the latter. "Promise me you won't do anything… Rash, please, Lloyd," the half-elf requested. Lloyd was still glaring.

"Oh, I won't do anything _rash_…" He started. Forcystus grabbed his shoulders.

"Listen to me, Lloyd," he insisted. "You must. Not. Go. Near. The Ranch. Understood?" Lloyd started to protest, but Forcystus shook his head. "No, Lloyd. It would be a stupid risk, and unnecessary. Don't court trouble, Lloyd, or death. Kvar would kill you like that!" He snapped his fingers. "No matter how… Obsessed he was with you. He wants that Exsphere, and the minute he finds out who you are, he would take it. If Judgement will be brought down on him, he will bring it upon himself. Please, leave the Ranch. Promise me." Lloyd looked at him, at the worry in his eyes.

"…I promise," he agreed softly, although the lie hurt him. _I'm sorry, Forcystus, but… I can't just leave him be after all he's done… _Kratos watched him, not saying a word, as Forcystus nodded, satisfied.

"Thank you," he replied. "It is not that I wish to deny you the revenge you seek, I am simply…"

"Worried about me?" Lloyd finished; an impish grin on his face. "I know. I'll be careful." Forcystus sighed, shaking his head slightly in exasperation.

"…Humans," he murmured. "So stubborn." Lloyd smiled at him.

"Of course," he replied proudly.

The group received a few looks as they walked into Asgard, which wasn't surprising as they were quite a mixed group.

"It's been a while since I've been here, you can tell," Forcystus remarked to Lloyd softly. The teen frowned.

"What d'you mean?" He asked. Forcystus laughed softly.

"No-one seems to be giving me evil looks," he replied. "It's because I'm not _obviously_ a half-elf. I can pass for an elf, me." He glanced up, looking up through the town at the huge stone stairs at the opposite end. "Some half-elves can pass for human, too. Although often if anyone finds out the truth, the consequences are grave. Still, it's often worth it." Colette was looking around at the many stone bridges in awe, and Genis had taken an interest in the caves and was asking Raine if they could go and look at them.

"What's in the caves?" Lloyd asked, distracted from the conversation. "Anything cool?"

"Cave paintings, apparently," Raine replied, consulting a guidebook. "I don't see why a little educational visit wouldn't be appropriate. Follow me, everyone."

"…She's treating this like a field trip," Forcystus remarked softly to Kratos, who sighed softly.

"It is the teacher in her," he responded. "Besides, the children need some guidance." Forcystus nodded slightly, agreeing absently.

The cave on the upper part of the town depicted women dancing around a tree, with a summon spirit of some sort in the sky above them.

"This could be something to do with the ritual!" Raine exclaimed happily, instantly getting out her notebook. Forcystus and Kratos exchanged glances.

"Is it the tree?" He asked quietly. Kratos inclined his head.

"I believe so," he responded. "I will have to ask Yuan in the future. He is much more well-versed in this than I ever was." Forcystus nodded.

"I would imagine so," he agreed quietly as Lloyd asked the people in the cave about the murals.

"There's almost no traces of this ancient civilisation left," one man lamented. "It's almost like they've been intentionally erased by someone!"

"Who'd do something like that?" Lloyd disagreed. Kratos sighed softly.

"…Let us go," he suggested. "We are here for a reason, not to dawdle around looking at ruins." Lloyd's face fell, but Raine nodded.

"There is another ruin…" She started, but Kratos shook his head.

"The quicker we are done here, the quicker we can proceed to the ruin," he replied curtly.

"Geez, lighten up, it's not the end of the world if we visit a couple of ruins," Lloyd muttered. Kratos raised an eyebrow.

"I'm surprised you're taking an active interest," he responded. "Normally the very mention of history makes you turn tail and flee." Lloyd scowled.

"Shut up," he muttered, having no suitable retort for that.

As they were about to walk out, Forcystus held out a hand to stop them.

"Trouble at twelve o'clock," he muttered. Kratos made a noise of surprise.

"Yuan?" He murmured softly. The blue haired man Forcystus was looking at was stood on the edge of an overhanging, broken stone bridge, looking out at the mountain opposite.

"Who's that?" Lloyd asked confused. Forcystus bit his lip slightly.

"Shall we call him a 'friend' of mine?" He replied softly.

"He's Cruxis?" Lloyd repeated, surprised. "Desian?" Forcystus winced

"Keep your voice down, else he'll-" He started

"Hear you?" The man cut in, turning around. Lloyd's hands went to his swords. "I'm not deaf, you know." He walked over to them. "Do you have some particular reason to be discussing me behind my back?" He glanced at Forcystus and Lloyd, not looking at Kratos, who remained silent.

"Oh, you know, just remarking on how good a friend you've been to us lately… _Lord Yuan_," Forcystus replied amiably. Yuan fixed him with a cold look.

"Since your person is not high on my list of people to be around, I would suggest you shut up," he told him. "I have no tolerance for people like you, _Desian_." Forcystus winced as a few heads turned.

"Ex-Desian," Lloyd corrected him helpfully.

"Who are you?" Raine demanded. Yuan's gaze went to her, and she met it.

"I am Yuan Ka'Fai," he responded. "Not that it is any business of yours."

"Certainly not my business, not with all the time you spent _helping_ around the Ranch," Forcystus remarked, almost idly. Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"Did I? I don't remember doing anything of the sort," he responded. "I wouldn't be seen dead near a Human Ranch." Kratos was watching him carefully now, and Yuan at last looked up to meet his gaze. "In fact, I don't believe we've met, save for my… _acquaintance_ with Forcystus here."

"Then pray remove yourself," Kratos requested. "We have no business with you, and do not need you disturbing our journey. If you wish to speak with Forcystus, do it elsewhere." Yuan laughed.

"I believe they began the conversation from this place," he responded. "Whilst I have no quarrel with you…?"

"Kratos," the mercenary supplied.

"Whilst I have no quarrel with you, _Kratos_, your half-elven friend seems set to start one," Yuan finished. Forcystus chuckled at that.

"Well, if all you're going to do is stand there and come up with insults that are, quite frankly, of rather poor standard, we must be going," he decided. "It was _ever_ such a pleasure seeing you again." Yuan glared.

"The feeling is mutual, Desian," he replied tersely.

"Ex-Desian," Lloyd repeated, deciding that he must not have heard the first time. Yuan made an amused noise.

"Good luck on your journey, Chosen," he told her. "May _Sylvarant_ flourish." With that, he turned and walked away, clearly unhappy about the impromptu meeting.

"…Can we go see the Ruins?" Genis asked hopefully. Kratos made a frustrated noise.

"If we must," he responded, and Genis made a happy noise and ran in their direction.

"The Asgard Ruins!" Raine exclaimed as they reached the steps up to the dais, running up them like someone obsessed. Genis sighed in despair, and Kratos shook his head slowly. Clearly they had seen this before.

"…Do we really have to go up there with _her_?" Genis asked, and Kratos nodded curtly, not verbally replying. Colette smiled at him encouragingly, and the group made their way up the stairs.

"Lloyd, state the historical background of this ruin," Raine demanded when they were all in front of the stone dais. Lloyd frowned, thinking hard, but after much deliberation it seemed that he hadn't borrowed/learned that particular set of notes.

"Um…" He murmured. "Er, well, let's see…" Forcystus laughed softly.

"It's the Temple where the human king of Asgard about three thousand years ago, Cleo III, held a ritual that offered a sacrifice to… I think it was Sylph… To stop a storm that had been raging for a week without surcease," he informed him. Lloyd nodded, although it was clear he hadn't a clue.

"Uh, yeah, that," he told Raine with a smile. Raine looked despairing.

"Gah!" She exclaimed. "Have you learned _nothing_ these past years? What do you even _do _during lessons?!"

"Uh, well I learned PE and art, and…" Lloyd started in his defence. Raine shook her head in utter disbelief. Kratos had a frown on his face, too.

"Never mind!" She exclaimed. Genis shot him a sympathetic look as Raine went over to the ruin itself and started examining it. "What perfect form…" She murmured in awe, her notebook out in an instant. "This delicate curve is said to represent the flight of the summon spirit of wind through the sky…" She ran her hand over it as she said it. "In addition, it is said that the stone is infused with a large volume of mana, and at night…"

"One would assume that the mana from whatever was sealed in or used to seal it would be the cause of that," Forcystus cut in. Lloyd groaned, having been deserted by all his companions who for some reason found the ruin _interesting_, and he wandered off around it. Forcystus was engaged in a heated discussion with Raine about the origin of the material used to carve the dais, which was loud enough to be heard even from the other side of it.

"Right, Linar. This is my 'breaker'," a voice sounded, and Lloyd frowned and peered around the side of the dais to see a half-elf and a human stood by a strange-looking contraption. "We can use the bomb to destroy this thing!" Lloyd gasped. They were going to _destroy_ it? Even he wouldn't go that far, and he found ruins deathly boring!

"But… Harley… This is a valuable remnant of the Balacruf Dynasty!" The human protested. Lloyd vaguely remembered Forcystus mentioning the word 'Balacruf' before. "We can't just destroy it!"

"What?" The half-elf replied, shocked. "But, Linar… Aisha may be killed! Can you just stand by and let that happen?" Lloyd didn't know who Aisha was, but he decided that he couldn't just let them activate a bomb with Raine and the others around the other side.

"What _are_ you doing?" He demanded, approaching them. They both froze.

"Who are you?" Harley demanded, looking defensive. Linar was panicked.

"It's… It's not what you think!" He assured Lloyd hurriedly. "We weren't trying to destroy the ruin at all!" The sound of Raine's lecture/argument with Forcystus from the other side of the ruin suddenly ceased, and Lloyd winced. He hadn't meant to bring _Raine_ down on them. There was the sound of her footsteps on the dais echoing, and she appeared on the other side, hands on her hips, one of the scariest looks Lloyd had ever seen on her face.

"_What_ did you just say?" She demanded in an icy voice.

"Oh… Professor… Uh… These guys said they were planning to destroy the stage…" Lloyd murmured, deciding that the truth was best in the face of Ruin Mode Raine. She was almost radiating anger.

"And you call yourselves human beings?!" She demanded. Lloyd noted the half-elf look affronted, and also slightly afraid. Raine kicked the surprised Linar to the floor, following up with an almost unblockable kick on Harley, who ended up on the floor despite his attempts to resist it. Lloyd winced.

"I am a half-elf!" Harley protested as he got up. Raine glared at him.

"And what does that have to do with anything?" She demanded. Lloyd nodded slightly. She was quite right. "You have no idea of the importance of this ruin!" She jabbed her hand down to indicate her point, and knocked the switch on the 'breaker' down, and all three winced in unison. "Now, listen…" Lloyd winced, realising she was going to give the lecture.

"Professor…." He started. Raine glared at him.

"If you've any questions I'll take them after the lecture," she told him curtly. Lloyd was certain he could hear ticking.

"Professor, you activated the bomb…" He tried, and Raine glared.

"I said if you've any ques… Tions…" She trailed off, realising what Lloyd had said and turning to look at the bomb. "…What?"

"Lady, you flipped the switch!" Harley yelled at her, earning himself another kick that sent him sprawling.

"Don't try to put the blame on someone else!" She snapped as he got up.

"That doesn't matter!" Lloyd protested, exasperated. "Is there a disarm?"

"Of course not," the half-elf retorted, glaring at him.

"Don't act like you're proud of it!" Raine insisted, kicking him down for a third time. Lloyd winced inwardly and knelt by the bomb.

"I'll just disarm it myself…" He murmured, examining the wiring and setting to work on it. Within a minute he had the bomb in pieces at his feet.

"…That's pretty good… It was supposed to be unstoppable…" Harley conceded, apparently none the worse for his kickings. Lloyd got up, angry.

"You shouldn't build stuff you can't control!" He insisted. Raine was examining the Ruin, a frown on her face.

"Well, the ruin's unharmed…" She murmured.

"Hey! You there!" A voice called, and they all turned to see an old man approach with a younger man at his side. "Trespassing up here is forbidden!" Harley and Linar looked at each other.

"The mayor…" Linar murmured.

"Run!" Harley decided, and they both ran for it. Lloyd looked very much as though he wanted to follow.

"Professor…" He started.

"But, I haven't had time to study the structure…" She started, but Lloyd grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

"Just come on!" He insisted, pulling her away from the ruin and down to Asgard proper, where the rest of their group was waiting, Forcystus with an almost-frown on his face.

"Well, well," he remarked. "Did you manage to escape the mayor?"

"Who were those two?" Lloyd wondered aloud. "Yeah, we're good…"

"What were they trying to do?" Colette inquired,

"Destroy the ruin," Lloyd replied. "Something about a girl being sacrificed…?" Forcystus frowned.

"The ruin isn't supposed to be used for sacrificial purposes," he remarked. "It was built to seal in a dangerous creature, using Sylph's power to suppress its strength."

"We mustn't allow such a threat to a valuable historical structure to continue," Raine decided. "We must find out more about this…"

"Have we the time?" Kratos asked pointedly. "We are here for the Balacruf tablet, not to chase around after false spirits."

"We can't just leave them!" Colette protested. Forcystus sighed.

"Let's see what we can find out," he compromised. "It may well lead us to the tablet."

"…As you wish," Kratos agreed wearily, and they set off for the housing quarter.

They found the house they wanted after quizzing a group of children who were playing hide and seek. Raine didn't even knock, she just went straight in, and Lloyd noticed a young woman who looked a little like Linar with Harley and Linar when they entered.

"Get out!" Harley insisted as they walked in. Raine glared him down, Ruin-Mode still in full force. The girl glanced at them worriedly.

"Harley, stop it, please," she requested. "This is my house." Harley sighed, defeated. "I… Understand that you were the ones who stopped Harley and my brother… Thank you," she told the group with a sad smile. Forcystus glanced at Harley, who glared at him.

"I'm not sure 'stopped' is the best way to put it," Kratos murmured. Lloyd hid a smile.

"They got in our way," Harley muttered irritably. Aisha frowned at him, and Raine looked as though she was having to forcibly restrain herself from hitting the poor half-elf again.

"It doesn't matter what you call it…" Aisha murmured. "The people of the city are the ones who would suffer if you had succeeded…" Harley glared at her, looking as though he didn't give a toss about the citizens of Asgard.

"But you'll be sacrificed!" He protested.

"Sacrificed?" Lloyd asked, confused.

"It's a ritual in honour of the summon spirit of wind," Harley told them with a sigh, running one hand through his hair. "Originally it was just a dance, but this _idiot_ started messing with the dais… Now this summon spirit of wind-thing is awake and demanding sacrifices… Aisha was chosen for the ritual…"

"It can't be the Summon Spirit of Wind," Forcystus cut in. "That is the Sylph, there are three of them and their Seal resides in the Balacruf Ruins."

"Well, then, what is it, if you're so smart?" Harley demanded.

"Most likely the monster that the dais was designed to seal in," Forcystus responded. "The seal has been there for a long time. It could well have weakened and allowed this monster to break through."

"So it's not a summon?" Linar asked, intrigued. Forcystus shook his head.

"It can't be," he replied. "All summons have a trial before they can be reached. Unless you count climbing all those stairs as a trial…"

"Oh… I may have weakened the seal…" Linar realised glumly. "When I took that tablet out of the indent on the back of the dais…" The group exchanged glances.

"…Tablet?" Kratos inquired. Linar nodded.

"Yes, it has ancient writing on it, and-"

"Oh, shut up!" Harley cut in angrily. "Aisha will be sacrificed to the summon spirit tonight! Now _get out_!" Lloyd sighed.

"Let's go, Professor," he suggested, and they left, Forcystus nodding to Harley as he left, receiving a glare from the other half-elf in return.

"So, what do we need to do?" Forcystus asked. "We need the tablet, but we can't ignore the plight of these people…"

"If we prevent the sacrifice, do you think they'll give us the tablet?" Lloyd suggested. "It would help the whole city if we got rid of this monster thing…" Kratos nodded.

"It seems like a reasonable solution," he responded. "The only problem is convincing the townspeople to prevent the sacrificial dance taking place."

"Or perhaps not," Raine mused. "I could take the place of this girl. Would that work, do you think?"

"I don't see why not," Forcystus responded. "If you, Kratos and Colette go and try to convince Aisha to switch places with you, Lloyd, Genis and I will tackle the mayor."

"Let's do it!" Genis agreed enthusiastically. Raine nodded.

"We will meet back here," she told him, and they split up and went their separate ways.

Forcystus, Lloyd and Genis walked over to the steps, where a sulky-looking mayor was stood.

"What do you lot want?" He demanded. "We've had enough trouble without you adding to it!"

"Peace," Forcystus suggested. "We're not here to argue with you. We have a suggestion."

"What sort of suggestion?" The mayor demanded. "If you think I'm letting you up on the dais after what happened earlier-"

"Not that!" Lloyd assured him. "We were just wondering if iy would be possible to… Maybe switch who did the ritual dance?" The Mayor looked at him like he was mad.

"You want to be the dancer?" He asked. Lloyd looked put out.

"No, of course not!" He replied. "'Cause I can't be the dancer, can I? It's got to be a girl, right?"

"…Exactly…" The Mayor replied. Forcystus sighed in exasperation.

"We were thinking that maybe my older sister could be the dancer," Genis explained helpfully. "She knows all the risks and she thinks she might be able to stop it terrorising the town! She's gone to ask Aisha if it's ok, so…" The Mayor harrumphed.

"Well, it's not my fault if she gets herself killed. She can do what she likes," he replied. "But don't think that means I'll let you up on the dais!"

"Success!" Lloyd cheered, hi-fiving Genis. "Let's go tell the Professor!"

Raine wasn't at the meeting place, so they continued on to Aisha's house, where Raine was talking to said human.

"It's not right for you to have to take my place…" She murmured, clearly unhappy about the whole thing.

"Don't worry about it," Raine replied dismissively.

"We convinced the Mayor," Genis reported faithfully. "Are you sure about this, sis?" She nodded.

"I'll be just fine with these three as bodyguards," she assured him, indicating Lloyd, Forcystus and Kratos, who all looked at each other. It was clear they had no choice in the matter.

"Uh… Sure," Lloyd murmured weakly.

"Now then, if you'll excuse me, I am going to change," Raine told them. "Go up to the Dais and I'll meet you there." The group nodded, filing out of Aisha's house as ordered.

"…I can see why she's a teacher," Forcystus murmured. "She's got the perfect attitude for it." Genis glared at him, but Kratos chuckled softly under his breath, Lloyd just looked nonplussed.

"Er… Yeah?" He offered. Forcystus laughed at him kindly.

"Never mind," he murmured as they left. The Mayor glared at them as they reached the steps, but glanced at Kratos and seemed much less inclined to argue, for some reason. They walked up the stairs, and Forcystus wandered over to the dais. "…There's no way there's any polycarbonate in this, the shape's all wrong, I don't know _where_ she gets her ideas from, seriously…" He started, musing.

"Forcystus… Please, stop," Lloyd begged. Kratos sighed. Lloyd was clearly a hopeless case.

Raine arrived shortly after the sun had set, decked out in the ritual clothes, and she walked onto the platform. Lloyd saw her frown slightly as she restrained the urge to reach for her notepad, and she began to dance. Lloyd noticed Forcystus watching her, wondering if he was just interested. The look on his face wasn't one the teen had seen before.

Raine came to a halt in the centre of the dais, and a symbol appeared on the stone and a creature with a scythe instead of a lower body materialised through the mana.

"That is most definitely not Sylph!" Forcystus told Lloyd, and all three swordsmen jumped up onto the dais. Raine stood back as the creature demanded a sacrifice, getting out a Magic Lens despite having no apparent pockets to produce one from. It just showed how good Raine could be at improvising.

Lloyd couldn't help but feel like a spare part for the first half of the fight, as Forcystus and Kratos seemed to be able to fight like one person. Lloyd was also the only one without magic of any sort, which left him feeling a little left out. Raine was also employing Photon to lend a hand at regular intervals, but after a while Forcystus and Kratos changed their tactics to better accommodate the still-learning Lloyd. In the end, it was also Lloyd who struck the decisive blow, cleaving the creature neatly in two.

"Excellent, Lloyd!" Forcystus congratulated as Linar ran up onto the platform.

"Fantastic, Raine! You're fantastic!" He exclaimed. Raine laughed slightly.

"Well, it was hardly a challenging opponent," she replied. "Especially not for these boys." Kratos and Forcystus glanced at each other. Neither of them really qualified for the word 'boy' any more, but for some reason, neither wanted to argue with Raine about it right then. "Now then, I believe I asked to have a look at that Tablet of yours…?" Linar nodded, handing it over, and Raine examined it. "There's ancient Balacruf writing transcribed on it…" She murmured. "We must go and translate it!" She insisted, and Linar nodded enthusiastically, the two heading off for his sister's house instantly. Forcystus watched them go with a frown.

"Translating it is highly unnecessary for it to be used…" Kratos protested to the empty space where they had been.

"Wow… They're really alike…" Lloyd murmured, slightly scared by the similarity.

"Ah, lay off the pair. I've always been interested to learn that language myself, but never had the time," Forcystus told Kratos affably. Kratos gave him a glare.

"Still, it is irrelevant."

"Whatever's on it, I'm sure Raine and Linar will find out…" Lloyd decided uncertainly, clearly not over-enthused by the prospect. "Besides, it's the middle of the night. We can hardly leave for the Mausoleum now." Kratos made a frustrated noise.

"True, but it is highly unnecessary to waste time so…" He muttered.

"What's three half-elves doing with a group of humans, anyway?" Harley asked Forcystus, intrigued.

"N-no, you're wrong," Genis corrected quickly. "Raine and I are elves!" Harley frowned.

"No, your mana…"

"They're elves," Forcystus told him curtly. "Pay attention." Harley frowned.

"Oh… Right… Sorry, I guess I… Wasn't looking?" He hazarded. Genis looked away, but Lloyd went over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"We should probably go get some rest," he suggested. Genis started, not having expected that, but he added.

"Um... Y-yeah," he replied. Forcystus was frowning.

"If the Seal has been in place since the last time Sylvarant flourished…" he started, frowning unhappily about something. Harley gave him a quizzical look.

"You're a half-elf," he murmured. Forcystus nodded.

"Indeed," he replied. "Why Asgard, Harley? It's not exactly known for being friendly to our kind." Harley sighed.

"I was born here, you know. And I don't want to leave Aisha on her own; else Linar will just let the town walk all over her…" Forcystus nodded.

"Being a Desian isn't for you, I suppose," he murmured. Lloyd, Genis and Colette had left already, but Kratos was lingering, listening in despite being too far away for that to be possible. Harley glared.

"I'm not evil," he spat. "Are you a Desian? You'd better not be a Desian!" Forcystus held up his hands as if to ward him off.

"Ex-Desian," he replied. "And I certainly have no intention of bringing the Asgard Ranch down on you. That would not be fair, and besides, I hate Kvar. My name's Forcystus." He held out his hand, and Harley shook it uncertainly.

"…I guess you know I'm Harley…" He murmured. "Why'd you quit?" Forcystus laughed.

"Unusual circumstances involving Lloyd. If I'd stayed he would have been hurt, and I couldn't have that. He's quite special, for a human, you know. Doesn't hate our race at all." Harley frowned.

"Why did you say they were elves?" He asked. "If he accepts half-elves?" Forcystus sighed.

"Well, he's one person. I don't know about Colette. Besides, if they want to be thought of as elves, they have the right to. If the town found out, well…" Harley nodded.

"…I guess," he murmured. "I guess I misjudged you. You're brave, admitting what you are. If I had a chance I would never have said…" Forcystus laughed.

"Haven't a choice," he remarked absently. "I should go, or else I'll have Lloyd coming back to fetch me. He worries needlessly. Such a foolish teen. Good luck with your life," he told Harley, walking away. Harley watched him go, and saw Kratos murmur a few words to him as he approached, the half-elf waving it away without apparent worry.

"Kratos, Forcystus!" Lloyd greeted when they arrived at the Hotel they were staying in. "I was about to go look for you." Kratos sighed.

"Lloyd, you needn't keep such close track of us," he told the teen. "I think you will find we can look after ourselves."

"Overconfidence breeds carelessness," Lloyd shot back, making Forcystus laugh.

"Very true," he replied. "And I think I will turn in." Kratos nodded.

"Lloyd, I am going to train now, if you wish to accompany me," he offered. Lloyd looked slightly dubious.

"At this time of night?" He asked. Kratos just stood there. "Ah, yeah… I'll come," Lloyd murmured eventually, and Kratos nodded curtly and walked out, Lloyd following him with a yawn. _Seriously, does he never get tired? He's worse than Colette for actually getting sleep, but he is actually never tired. Weird._

Kratos led them out of Asgard into the woods by the city, then drew his sword.

"Show me what you've learned so far," he offered. Lloyd nodded, drawing his swords, determined to prove himself.

It took Kratos all of thirty seconds to floor him.

"Ah, jeez, Kratos, would it kill you to show a little mercy?" He complained, struggling to his feet. Kratos gave him an unamused look.

"When the time comes, I won't have the leeway to protect you. You must protect yourself," he told the teen. "And you do not appear to be very good at that."

"How can you be so much better than me?" Lloyd wondered, irritated. "You've only got, what, ten years on me?" Kratos looked troubled.

"…Perhaps a little more," he murmured. "But they make quite the difference. You leave yourself wide open. Did Forcystus ever tell you that?" Lloyd hung his head. The half-elf had mentioned it a few times, but it seemed his efforts to correct it had come to nothing.

"I tried to make it better… How's this?" He took up a fighting stance. Kratos shook his head curtly.

"It is mostly because you fight with two swords. That isn't the way a sword was designed to be used. You make things incredibly difficult for yourself." Lloyd frowned.

"Well, I reckoned, two swords means twice the power… Right?" He asked. Kratos shook his head in despair, laughing softly. "Wh-what? Why are you acting like that?" Lloyd demanded, affronted. Kratos looked up at him, clearly amused.

"That logic is false," he replied. "But, you have learned this way, so I suppose you will have to stick to it. Pass me a sword." Uncertainly, Lloyd passed one of his swords over, and Kratos spent the next half an hour patiently teaching the young swordsman how to hold his weapons in a way that wouldn't leave him prone to being hit.

Genis woke him the next morning.

"Hey, Lloyd, you still sleeping?" He remarked. Lloyd opened his eyes wearily.

"Huh? 'S morning?" He mumbled. "I've on'y been 'sleep 'n hoouurr…" He rubbed his eyes. "Wha's wrong?" Genis sighed, shaking his head.

"Raine's not back yet. We were going to go fetch her," he told him.

"You're joking…" Lloyd murmured, pulling himself out of bed. Genis shook his head.

"Nah-ah. She's conducting research with Linar… Still. You coming?" Lloyd nodded, pulling his red jacket and gloves on.

"How does Kratos cope…?" He wondered aloud. "That man must be superhuman or something…" Genis shrugged.

"Just come on!" He insisted, and Lloyd nodded and followed him into the foyer, where Kratos was stood seemingly none the worse the wear for his lack of sleep the night before. Lloyd glared at him sullenly, and the mercenary met his gaze and laughed softly under his breath, which only served to irritate Lloyd further.

"Nice to see you're finally up," Forcystus remarked. Lloyd glared at him, too. "Seems we can head off now. Is she often this hard to tear away from research?"

"…Worse…" Genis lamented. Lloyd sighed.

"Let's just go," he murmured, lack of sleep showing through. Kratos gave him a careful look.

"You must learn to cope with less sleep than normal," he told him. Lloyd groaned.

"How do you _manage_?" He wondered aloud. "You never seem to sleep at all!"

"I sleep enough to function," Kratos replied curtly. Forcystus gave them both a strange look. "You had enough sleep last night. I did not work you any later than I would have kept anyone else. Stop being so sulky."

"Sure thing, _dad_," Lloyd snapped irritably, annoyed by the constant reprimands. Kratos looked away slightly, unwilling to show the emotion in his eyes that one simple sentence could cause him.

"…Just do as I said," he muttered, stalking out of the Hotel. Forcystus raised his eyebrows.

"…Did I hit a nerve?" Lloyd asked, confused. Colette bit her lip.

"Maybe… Something bad…" She started, but Forcystus walked towards the door.

"Let's go, else Kratos will leave us behind," he cut in, before a deep discussion about parents and children ensued, which he wasn't certain he'd be able to stand. Lloyd nodded, and the group followed after Kratos to Aisha's house.

"Ah, good timing. I just finished deciphering it," Raine commented, looking up as they all filed in.

"She's amazing!" Linar exclaimed. "The writing is highly complex, but it took her no time at all to decipher!" Lloyd and Genis exchanged knowing looks.

"…Looks like Raine just gained another fan," Genis remarked.

"Yeah, she's quite the catch, huh?" Lloyd replied with a grin. Forcystus frowned as Genis nodded, and Raine smacked the latter.

"The monster we faced was the calamity that terrorised the Balacruf Empire aeons ago," she continued to the group.

"The king at that time used Sylph to seal it away," Linar added.

"And used this Tablet, which we know allows entry to the Temple Sylph is Sealed at, to enhance the protection Sylph offered," Raine finished.

"I can't wait to see what the summon spirit looks like," Lloyd enthused. "We're going today, right?"

"Once we are finished here, we shall be leaving," Kratos agreed.

"Now we can finally continue regenerating the world!" Colette remarked, just as enthusiastic as Lloyd. Aisha gave them a careful look.

"Say… What _were_ your reasons for coming here?" She asked. Kratos made a slight noise.

"We should get moving," he decided curtly, turning and walking out. Forcystus sighed and followed him out, despite Aisha trying to ask again. Lloyd glanced at Colette, and he and Genis headed out.

"Please take care," Colette told them all with a bright smile, following the two boys. Raine sighed, shaking her head.

"I will be borrowing this, if you don't mind," she told Linar, indicating the tablet. Linar shook his head.

"Not at all. Please do. Keep it, in fact!" he replied, and Raine nodded and left, Harley watching her carefully as she left.

"Elf… Yeah, right…" He murmured.

The group set off along the path to the northeast, in fairly good spirits, although Raine was still a little irritated that Forcystus seemed to know more than she did about one of her favourite areas of expertise. They were deep in conversation about the Asgard Ruin, and Lloyd, who was normally friendly with the half-elf, was keeping a wide berth.

"I don't see what's so interesting about some old slab of rock anyway," he remarked to Kratos, who was being as quiet as usual.

"…Different people appreciate different things," he replied in a low voice, not looking at Lloyd but out at the horizon, on alert for monsters. Lloyd sighed.

"But they're just boring bits of rock!" He exclaimed. Kratos sighed.

"They have a very important history regarding Sylvarant," he replied. "And the seals are, of course, necessary." Lloyd made an irritated noise.

"I just don't get how they can be so… _Interested_," he told Kratos. "I mean, sure they're important, but I'd want to just go through a seal then leave, not spend hours arguing about what sort of rock this bit of wall is made of and how old this particular stone is and… All that other stuff." Kratos laughed softly.

"As I said, different people appreciate different things," he replied. Lloyd bit his lip and looked at the floor.

"Um, Kratos…" He started. The mercenary looked at him then. "I'm… Sorry about earlier… What I said. I didn't think it'd be as bad… I mean, I should have thought about it, 'cause I don't really…" Kratos cut him off with a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up.

"Do not worry about it," he replied. "It is… Alright." Lloyd sighed.

"I didn't mean to make you angry…" He murmured. Kratos sighed.

"I wasn't angry, I was…" He started, shaking his head. "It does not matter. You were tired, I appreciate that. Forget that it happened." Lloyd smiled slightly.

"…I'm sorry," he repeated. "I'm… Pretty good at making mistakes, huh?" Kratos laughed softly, looking up at the horizon again.

"But, you realise that you have, and you make amends for them," he replied. "That is a rare quality in people." He sighed softly. "The ability to acknowledge where one has made a mistake, and even try to correct it… It is a quality that is sorely lacking where it is most needed." Lloyd shrugged.

"I… Guess…" He murmured, glancing over at Raine and Forcystus. "Geez, are they _still_ going on about the same rock?" Kratos smiled slightly, amused. "I mean, seriously, it's just a rock…" Lloyd murmured. "…Are we going all the way to the seal place now?" Kratos shook his head.

"No, it is too far to walk," he replied. "We will be stopping at the House of Salvation that is further up this path." He pointed in the direction. "That should be about half a day's walk, but it will likely take us another half-day to reach the mausoleum itself." Lloyd nodded.

"You sure know your way around Sylvarant well," he remarked. Kratos nodded.

"I have… Been around a lot. It is a part of my… Work," he replied. Lloyd nodded.

"Yeah, I guess being a mercenary will take you all over, huh?" He remarked. Kratos made an unhappy noise. "Say, how much do you get paid?" Kratos frowned.

"It varies with each job. Why?" He replied. "Are you thinking of becoming a mercenary?" Lloyd shook his head.

"Nah, I want to be a blacksmith, like my dad," he replied, not noticing the almost imperceptible hurt in Kratos' eyes. "I just wanted to know how much difference there was, you know?" Kratos nodded.

"I… See," he murmured. Lloyd smiled at him.

"And when I've got enough money, I want to build a boat and sail around the world," he told Kratos, who smiled.

"…You have a dream, then. That is good," he replied. Lloyd grinned.

"You can come on my boat, too, if you want," he offered. Kratos smiled; warmth in his eyes for a change.

"As much as I would like to, I highly doubt it would be possible," he replied. "Although, I hope you get the chance to achieve your dream." Lloyd looked up at him.

"Why couldn't you?" He asked. "You should have a break from being a mercenary! Come on, you know you want to!" Kratos laughed softly.

"Lloyd, if, by the end of this journey, you still want me to sail with you, come and find me once you have your boat," he replied. "And I would be more than happy to." Lloyd nodded.

"That's the spirit!" He replied. "I'll sail around Sylvarant until I find you. And then you can come sail with me. Promise?" Kratos made a soft amused noise.

"Yes, you have my word," he replied. _…So stubborn… Just like Anna…_ Lloyd wandered off; talking to himself about boats and money, and Kratos watched him go with a kind smile. _My son…_

"That's an unusually kind look for you, Kratos," Raine remarked. Kratos looked up sharply. He hadn't even realised they had stopped talking! Lloyd was making him let his guard down…

"I have no idea what you mean," he replied curtly. Forcystus laughed.

"Leave the man, Miss Sage," he advised. "You know what he's like." Raine gave him a searching look, but shrugged and turned back to talk to Forcystus about some ruin or another.

_She suspects me of something…_Kratos realised. _…It can't be helped. I only wish Lloyd was a little less trusting… I do not want to hurt him as I will have to at the end of this journey…_

_

* * *

_

**A/N - **We all know that Lloyd is bound to do something rash near the Asgard Ranch, so if I were Forcy I wouldn't be getting my hopes up.

R&R please ^^


	20. Chapter seven: Two Lakes

**Howdy**. I had this typed up on Tuesday, but my beta doesn't seem to be responding and I didn't want to keep you all waiting too long :( So if you spot any errors, plot holes, etc. etc, do point them out in a review, and I'll sort it sometime.

Important point: I'm now on holiday! Two weeks of it to be exact ^^ Plenty of time to write, and avoid the copious amounts of holiday homework I've been given ^^

**Disclaimer:** Don't own characters, settings, etc. etc. I _did_, however, write the song that Kratos sings close to the end of this chapter. I wrote it for a friend, but it's mine and it fits, so hey. It's now an elven lullaby. It's actually got three verses if anyone's interested.

Skedaddle-San - this chapter is also quite long, although I didn't plan for it to be ^_^" And it's got a whole lotta thickening left to do. I like my plot like my gravy ^^

kirimori - It DOES suck, doesn't it? One story that suffers a lot is my Xmen OCfest that I wouldn't really want to post up here... But I write that on paper and I often have a whole day or two between writing times, and I come back and think "...What was he going to say?"  
XD I'd like to see a hurt look in chibiKratos' eyes. There's a lotta stuff that Lloyd says without realising. Poor Kratty.  
He suspects. Trouble is, he can't really do all that much about it right now. In a coupla chapters, the Ranch will be involved.  
I used the magic lens all the time, and it was always Raine who used it, since you get more data if Raine uses it. I still haven't completed the monster log thing yet though.  
If you don't blame me for shoving Yuan in because I like him, I won't blame you for liking KRatty best. Deal? XD And that was NOT a bad review. It was an immense review. I love getting reviews like that. So thanks ^^

LikeAGlintOfLight - To be fair, it is a rather pathetic monster. Something like a seal guardian they couldn't.  
Raine is highly suspicious of Forcy and Kratty. For good reason. Kratty doesn't help himself much, to be fair.  
It's not that they're all idiots... It's just that Forcystus sees them all as idiots. Point of View bias. They're probably pretty smart, but compared to Forcy, they're idiots. XD

Symphoniafan - quite XD unfortunately for Lloyd, who is a Ruin-phobe.  
I have some fun times planned for the Asgard Ranch... wait and see ;)  
I've always loved that little skit point where Lloyd tells Kratty to come on his boat with him. One of the reasons why I cried when Kratos left (for the last time). Stupid insensitive man.

* * *

Chapter seven: Two Lakes

The group arrived at the House of Salvation at about noon, with the sun high in the sky. Kratos had a map out and was looking at it with Raine, Forcystus peering over their shoulders and pointing out handy landmarks that Kratos refrained from mentioning, something that didn't go down too well with the angel-turned-mercenary. Colette, Lloyd and Genis were talking about nothing in particular, passing the time until something more interesting presented itself.

"Legend has it that the visage of a unicorn sometimes appears on the surface of Lake Umacy," the priest informed them, noticing their distress. "A lot of travellers who pass through here have said they've seen it."

"A unicorn?" Lloyd murmured. "Do they really exist? …Do you think Kratos will let us go and see it?"

"Well, we could get there and back before the day is up," Forcystus remarked, wandering over. Kratos had expelled him from the map discussion on the grounds that he was getting in the way, which translated to telling Raine too much. "Lake Umacy isn't far from here." Colette grinned.

"Really? I'd like to see a unicorn," she enthused. Forcystus smiled slightly.

"_You_ would be able to," he decided. "A unicorn can only be approached by a pure maiden. That is, if it is accessible at all. Likely it may be just a mirage, or the unicorn may be trapped under the lake surface…" Lloyd frowned, thinking.

"Could we get it out?" He asked eventually. Forcystus shrugged.

"I haven't seen it, Lloyd. How am I supposed to know?" He reasoned. Lloyd looked a bit abashed. "But I certainly can't see any reason for Kratos to disallow it. And if you like lakes, there's also Luin. Quite a walk from here, in the direction of the Tower of Mana, but it's a very pretty town." Lloyd, frowning, pulled the printout Forcystus had given him from his pocket and looked at it. _Area taken from: Luin._

"It's… It's my mom's hometown, isn't it?" He asked. Forcystus shrugged.

"She was taken from there, so I would imagine so," he replied. Kratos had looked up at them, and he passed the map to Raine and walked over to them.

"What are you discussing?" He asked, giving Forcystus a searching look.

"Luin and Lake Umacy," the half-elf replied honestly.

"Can we go to Luin? Please?" Lloyd asked Kratos. "I just want to see it… I think it was my mom's hometown." Kratos looked at him, a strange look in his eyes.

"…If the Chosen has no objections," he replied eventually. Forcystus raised his eyebrows. He had clearly been expecting a definite 'no'.

"Oh, of course not! Um, can we go to Lake Umacy? The Priest said there was a unicorn there and I wanted to see it…" Colette replied. Kratos sighed.

"This isn't a field trip," he murmured. Forcystus seemed to find it amusing that he would agree to Lloyd's request instantly and be reluctant about Colette's. Lloyd frowned.

"Please, Kratos?" He begged. Kratos sighed, shaking his head slowly.

"…Fine, if you insist," he replied. "Although to deviate so from the journey of Regeneration is foolish…"

"Where are we going, then?" Raine asked, walking over. "I take it we are not continuing as planned?" Kratos sighed and shook his head.

"No," he replied. "They wish to pay a visit to Lake Umacy. It is a round trip we can easily make in the remaining daylight we have." He ran a hand through his unkempt hair, thinking. "Lloyd has expressed a wish to go to Luin, and the Chosen has no objections, so tomorrow we can backtrack and visit it." Raine frowned.

"Are you sure it's wise to go so far out of our way?" She asked. Kratos shook his head.

"No, but the Chosen and Lloyd insist," he replied. Raine gave him a funny look, and Forcystus got the feeling that it was Lloyd's wishes Kratos was listening to rather than Colette's. He wasn't all that surprised.

"If you think it would be wise," she settled on. "We could use supplies that I would be hard-pressed to locate anywhere other than a town, besides. It would be better going there than all the way back to Asgard, which is more out of our way now." Kratos inclined his head.

"Then that is what we shall do," he agreed.

"Thanks!" Lloyd and Colette told them in unison. Kratos sighed and shook his head slowly, as if they were impossible.

"…Well, at least you appreciate it," he murmured. "Come. If you wish to get to Lake Umacy and back before nightfall we must leave now." Raine was studying the map with a frown, and Forcystus leaned over and helpfully pointed the lake out to her. She gave him a look and folded the map, acting affronted. Forcystus just shrugged.

* * *

Kratos led the group out of the House of Salvation and off the path, looking as though he knew where he was going. Lloyd noticed him throw several glances into the distance, and after a while of walking the teen saw a dark shadow on the horizon.

"See that?" Forcystus asked, and Lloyd nodded. "It's the Asgard Ranch." Lloyd's gaze hardened.

"Kvar…" He growled. Forcystus sighed.

"Calm down," he murmured. "His time will come." Lloyd made an angry noise, staring in the direction of the Ranch. It was the direction Kratos had been looking in, had he known the Ranch was there?

"It can't come quickly enough," he murmured. _Kratos sure knows his way around the world well… I wish I knew half as much as he did… How did he manage to learn so much in eleven years?_

"You promised you wouldn't go after him," Forcystus reminded him gently, in an almost resigned way. Lloyd nodded slightly. Yes, he had. And he was going to have to break it at some point. He had made a decision. He and Kratos had. He looked over at the mercenary, noting the look in his eyes. It was anger, but also… Sadness?

_Has Kratos lost someone to Kvar, too?_ Lloyd wondered. _Is that why he agreed to help me? Maybe that's why he agreed to go to Luin… I'll ask him later._ Kratos, feeling his gaze, glanced back at him, and Lloyd flashed him a slight grin. With a troubled look in his eyes, Kratos turned away, still walking. _What was that all about? _Lloyd wondered, confused.

Eventually, Kratos led them into a thickly wooded area, and he and Lloyd fought off a giant plant-like creature half-way through it. Kratos gave him a quick nod once it went down, as though pleased with how Lloyd had fought, and that raised the young swordsman's spirits a little. _I'm not useless!_

* * *

When the woods cleared, they were on the shore of a large lake.

"Wow!" Colette exclaimed, running right up to the water's edge. "Oh, look, look! The unicorn!" Lloyd and Genis ran up to join her, and Kratos leant against a tree, watching them carefully.

"It's trapped down there…" Lloyd murmured sadly. Forcystus walked up with Raine.

"My," Raine remarked.

"Can we get it out? Oh, please, Professor, can we help it?" Colette begged, distraught by the creature's plight. Raine frowned slightly.

"Couldn't you do something with your magic, Genis?" Lloyd suggested hopefully. Genis looked at it, then shook his head.

"It's too deep…" He replied. "We'd have to have a more potent magic than mine…"

"It would require a summon spirit," Forcystus cut in. "That is a prison of water, it has been well-designed. We'd need Undine." Lloyd sighed, and Colette looked downcast.

"But I wanted to help it…" She murmured. Raine bit her lip.

"The art of summoning was lost long ago," she replied. "Even if we could get to the summon spirit of water…"

"At Thoda Geyser," Kratos cut in. Raine glared at him.

"…There's no way we'd be able to summon it," she finished. "And don't interrupt." Lloyd laughed slightly. She was telling Kratos off! The mercenary didn't look too pleased about that, either.

"Well, I wouldn't say the art's been _lost_, but we'd be hard-pressed to find a summoner in this… _Part_ of the world," Forcystus remarked. Lloyd gave him a look.

_He was going to say 'world', wasn't he?_ He thought. _Do they have summoners in Tethe'alla?_ Kratos gave him a careful look.

"…We will have to leave it for now," he decided. "We must head back to the House of Salvation. It will be dusk soon, and it is quite a walk." Lloyd looked disappointed.

"I really thought we'd be able to do something…" He murmured sadly. Kratos walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Sometimes, things happen which you cannot prevent or do anything about," he told him softly. Lloyd looked up at him; saw that sadness lingering in his eyes again. "True strength lies in being able to continue on despite that."

"Did something happen to you?" He asked. Kratos hesitated, then shook his head.

"…No," he replied. "Let us go." He turned and walked away, and Lloyd sighed and followed him, having little other choice.

* * *

When they got back to the House of Salvation the sun had just set, leaving the sky in a twilight. Lloyd looked up at the sky, smiling at the sight of the stars.

"Ah, you can see the Phoenix!" He remarked, pointing up at a set of stars. "That's not often visible!" Kratos looked visibly surprised that Lloyd was taking an interest in the stars.

"That constellation is called Aska, Lloyd," Raine admonished him. "Really. If you are going to take an interest in something at least learn the names." Lloyd glared.

"Is too the Phoenix," he protested. "I know it is!" Kratos sighed.

"The Phoenix is the name recorded in books from the Kharlan war," he told them. "It was renamed Aska after the war. Many of the constellations gained new names, as did the moon." Raine glared at him, irritated that she had been sort of proved wrong. Or perhaps irritated that Lloyd seemed to know more than her.

"Yeah!" Lloyd agreed, pleased that he was right in a way. "And there's Volt, and that one's the Weeping Angel…"

"The Crystal and the Goddess," Raine muttered under her breath.

"Wow, Lloyd, I didn't know you knew so much about the stars!" Colette exclaimed. Lloyd grinned sheepishly, running a hand through his hair in embarrassment.

"Well, they interest me, I guess," he replied. "I used to watch the stars with my dad when I was a kid." Kratos looked away then, and Forcystus winced slightly.

"You can remember that?" She asked softly. Lloyd nodded.

"He used to put me up on his shoulders," he told her enthusiastically. "And he'd point at the stars. I used to try and grab them. I think he found it funny, 'cause I can remember him laughing." He smiled sadly at the memory. "Mom always used to tell him off for being reckless."

"Lloyd," Forcystus cut in. "It's getting late. The Chosen needs her sleep." Lloyd looked downcast.

"What… You don't care?" He asked dejectedly. "…But it's the only thing I'm good at besides fighting…" Genis made a comment about his fighting skills under his breath, and Lloyd glared at him.

"Where did you learn the names?" Kratos asked as Raine walked in after Colette to make sure she was alright. Lloyd sighed.

"I found a book," he replied. Genis raised his eyebrows. "No, seriously! Phaidra leant me it. It had some pretty hard language in it, but I just looked at the diagrams and the names. All the easy books had the wrong names in them."

"You mean the right names," Genis told him, his voice droll. Kratos chuckled.

"Nah, they're the ones I learnt when I was little!" Lloyd protested. "I _remember_, ok? It's… Pretty much all I do… 'Cause those nights… They're all I…" He trailed off, looking at the floor. Genis made an uncomfortable noise, realising that he had inadvertently brought up a delicate topic.

"Um… I'll go check on Colette…" He murmured, running off. Lloyd sat against the wall of the House with a sigh, and, unusually, Kratos joined him.

"Do you regret not knowing?" He asked softly. "Would you rather you had grown up with your parents?" Lloyd nodded.

"I miss them both…" He murmured. "…Do you know the right… Um, the old names for the stars?" Kratos nodded.

"I know both," he replied. _I was there when most of them were renamed…_

"Would you… Teach me?" Lloyd asked hopefully. "I couldn't really learn all that much out of the book." Kratos looked hesitant.

_I can't get too close to him…_ He thought warily, but the look of disappointment in Lloyd's eyes swayed him. "…Very well," he replied. "I will teach you what I know." Lloyd brightened up instantly.

"Thanks, Kratos!" He told the mercenary happily. Kratos sighed.

_I will regret this later, I can feel it…_ He thought, and he started to teach Lloyd constellations.

* * *

"Do you ever go back to your home?" Lloyd asked spontaneously as Kratos was trying to remember the current name for the Unicorn. Kratos looked at him.

"Home? …No," he replied eventually. "Rarely if at all. Why?" Lloyd sighed.

"It's just… I was banished from Iselia, and I already kind of miss it. Don't you get lonely, travelling around all the time, never getting to really know anyone?" Kratos looked at him, slightly surprised.

"…I did not expect you to ask something like that," he remarked. "I don't miss my home, and I suspect is does not miss me." Lloyd frowned.

"Doesn't that make you feel bad?" He asked. "Where were you born?" Kratos hesitated.

…_I shouldn't tell him… But what harm will he do? He has never been to Heimdall… He will not know of it, surely, and he will never go to Tethe'alla… _"…I was born in Heimdall," he murmured. "I doubt you will have heard of it. It is a very small village." Lloyd frowned, certain he'd heard that name before.

"Heimdall…" He repeated.

"I left mainly because… Of my… Friends," Kratos continued, hesitating over the use of the word 'friends' after so many years. "They were half-elves, the village threw them out. I left with them." Lloyd gave him a surprised look.

"You knew half-elves?" He asked. "I didn't think many humans were friendly with them…" Kratos chuckled.

"Ah, one of them was my best friend," he replied. _Yuan… How times change._ "And another I taught the art of the sword."

"So you've been a teacher before!" Lloyd exclaimed. "Guess that's why you're so good, huh? What was your friend's name?" Kratos looked uncertain at the barrage of questions, unwilling to reveal too much.

"…I do not deserve to be called a teacher," he murmured. "My friend's name was…" He hesitated longer there. Was it safe to tell him after their encounter in Asgard? "…It's not important," he settled on eventually, although he regretted it. _In four thousand years we do not change at all… Lloyd is a breath of fresh air to me… If only… _He shook his head. He couldn't think like that. Those years were gone, and not even he could turn back time. _If I could, I would do many things differently…_

"Aw, c'mon," Lloyd protested, eager for information now he sensed something was up, a habit picked up during his time in the Ranch.

"Yuan," Kratos relented. "Like the half-elf we met in Asgard."

"Yuan," Lloyd repeated, sounding the name out for the first time. "Is he nice?" Kratos laughed, amused.

"'Is he nice'," he repeated. "My. I have not spoken to him in a while. My… Job means I do not see him very often."

"Ah, yeah… I forgot…" Lloyd mumbled weakly, running a hand back through his hair in embarrassment. "Do you ever see any of the people you work for again?" He asked, trying to save face. Kratos shook his head.

_There's often a generation or two in between them at least…_ "I wander. I do not stay in the same place; in fact, I rarely visit towns and cities unless my work demands it. It is unusual for me to meet up with those I have already worked for." _Stop talking. You are saying too much, _he chastised himself mentally. Lloyd had an uncanny knack for drawing information out of people who did not want to talk.

"What does your friend look like?" Lloyd asked, changing the subject onto a more productive, and interesting, one. "You know Genis, it's only fair you tell me! Maybe I'll see him one day; I could tell him I saw you!" Kratos sighed. Lloyd was so blissfully naïve.

"I do not think that would be wise," he remarked, amused. "We are not currently on the best of terms. We parted ways last on a rather sour note." Lloyd pouted.

"He's still your friend, right?" He persisted. "Nothing should stand in the way of true friendship." Kratos grimaced at that, looking up at the sky, although the stars had long been forgotten.

"Perhaps you are right," he conceded. "But… Time changes people." _More time than I would care to admit, in truth._ Lloyd laughed.

"You're silly, you know that?" He informed him bluntly. "If he's really your friend, he'll always be your friend, no matter what he says or does." Kratos smiled sadly.

"…You are a very special person, Lloyd," he remarked. "In both a good and a bad way." He looked at the teen properly, at the way his interest sparkled in his rust-red eyes, eyes that matched his father. Eyes that matched his. "But it is getting late. I know what you are like when you do not get much sleep."

"'S not that late," Lloyd protested. "Not really. We were up longer training." Kratos sighed, remembering Lloyd's childish protests to Anna. They had been almost identical. "Besides, you never told me what that constellation was called," he added.

"_Wanna stay up 'n' lookit the pwetty lights wiv daddy…"_

"No!" Kratos scolded himself aloud, shaking his head. "I…" Lloyd frowned, confused, and Kratos stood up. "I… I will tell you tomorrow," he replied, walking away quickly before Lloyd could question him, although he heard the young swordsman call after him in confusion. _Stupid, I am so stupid! _He scolded himself. _I did the one thing I promised myself I wouldn't do! I let him get too close to me… I let myself grow too close to him…_ He sighed softly, shaking his head. _He is my child… How can I not grow close to him?_ His hand closed around the locket that hung around his neck, pulling it free of his top, and he smiled slightly. _Maybe… If I find a way… If he does not hate me so much he never wants to look at me again… I can… Give the Eternal Sword to him…_ He closed his eyes. _Yes… If he has the strength… If he learns enough, if he does enough… He could become that strong… If only there was a way to break the pact with Origin that would result in him gaining the sword… We need a summoner… But where can I find a summoner? _He sighed. There were always complications. _I know what I need now, almost all of it. I can provide the materials to forge a Ring of the Pact. I just need a way to get it to Lloyd… For him to realise after my death that that is what I want for him… What he needs… If… Mithos does not kill him first… No! I will not let that happen! Even if it is my life I must give, I will make sure Lloyd lives!_ His hand tightened around the locket. _For you, Anna… _

* * *

The next day, the group headed in the direction of Luin. Lloyd was walking with Forcystus after a failed attempt to get Kratos to talk to him, and was feeling a bit put out about it.

"…I don't get it…" He muttered angrily. "I was just being friendly, then he got all snappy for no reason and now he won't talk to me! It's not like I'm asking him anything I wouldn't tell him!" Forcystus sighed.

"He's a complicated person," he replied. "Give him some space. Maybe you asked him something that means more to him than you think."

"…I only protested that we hadn't stayed out that late and he hadn't told me what the constellation was…" Forcystus sighed.

"Stargazing. Oh dear," he remarked, more than aware of Kratos' connections to Lloyd and stars. Lloyd glared at him. "No, no, don't get the wrong idea. I don't think it's silly in any way," he reassured quickly, seeing that Lloyd had taken that entirely the wrong way. "I just…" He looked over at Kratos, worried, but the mercenary didn't even register the glance, if he saw it.

"Do you know the names of the stars?" Lloyd asked, intrigued now.

"Only the new ones," Forcystus told him with a slight, weary smile, brushing an unruly lock of hair from his eyes irritably. "I'm not a well of knowledge on things from before the Kharlan War. I'm better versed on the summon spirits and magic." Lloyd looked disappointed.

"…Oh," he murmured. "I was just, y'know…"

"Hoping I could teach you in place of Kratos?" Forcystus supplied helpfully. Lloyd looked put out, but nodded anyway, making the half-elf laugh. "You needn't worry. Give him today without pestering him and I'm sure he'll relent." Lloyd sighed.

"…Fine. Alright, I'll just… Give him some space. Not that he'll give me a choice," he decided unhappily. "I guess my training's gone out of the window…"  
"I doubt he'll begrudge you a session or two," Forcystus disagreed. "He wants you to grow strong." Lloyd gave him a funny look. "…We all do. You have so much potential, Lloyd, like I said. We simply want to see you use it." Lloyd made an irritated noise, getting the feeling that there was something Forcystus wasn't telling him, and Kratos for that matter.

He fell into silence after their little conversation, thinking through everything that Kratos had told him before he'd gone funny.

_Heimdall…_ He thought. _I'm sure I've heard that before… But where?_ He gave Forcystus a look, wondering if the half-elf would remind him if he asked. It was almost certainly something he'd heard from him… _Wait! I know now, it's the village of the elves… Kratos was born in an elven village? That makes no sense…_ Further dredging up of memories reminded Lloyd that it was in Tethe'alla, because that was where Origin's Seal was. _No, he can't have come from that Heimdall… But it makes no sense for there to be a Heimdall in Tethe'alla and another in Sylvarant. Is Kratos hiding something from me? But he _can't_ be from Tethe'alla… He just can't…_ He glanced over at Kratos, who had just hacked a wolf in half before it could get to Colette. _Forcystus said something like only Cruxis and the Desians can go between the worlds, and Kratos is human, the Professor and Genis would have said if he wasn't… So he can't be from Tethe'alla._ Lloyd smiled slightly to himself, pleased with his deduction. Cruxis and the Desians were half-elven organisations. There was no way a simple mercenary would be part of them.

* * *

"There, Lloyd. Luin, in the distance," Forcystus pointed out as the sun was starting to set. Lloyd grinned.

"We're nearly there!" He enthused.

"Don't let your guard down," Kratos chided him in a low voice, and Lloyd sighed.

"I know, I know…" He murmured. "An enemy could strike at any time, from any place…" He glanced around; no enemies seemed to be striking at that particular moment.

"From one place in particular," Forcystus murmured under his breath, looking over at the Asgard Ranch, which was now more clearly visible on the horizon. Kratos shot an evil look at it, pure hatred in his eyes.

"…Indeed," he murmured, his voice betraying none of the hatred he felt. "…We must press on." Lloyd muttered under his breath in annoyance at Kratos' constant scoldings as they walked, until Forcystus punched him in the arm lightly and told him to shut up.

* * *

"…Luin, the City of Hope," Kratos told them all as they walked into the town. It was bustling with life, a lot more lively than even Asgard had been.

"…Wow…" Lloyd murmured, looking around. "It's big!" Forcystus laughed softly.

"That's why it's called a _city_, Lloyd," he replied. Lloyd glared at him.

"…There are a few shops around, including several that stock weapons and supplies," Kratos told them. "And the fountain is in that direction." He waved his hand in the vague direction of the fountain, although it wasn't visible to them, being on the other edge of town. "The Inn is this building here." He pointed to the building they were stood outside, the wooden sign not being wonderfully helpful in telling the same, half-worn away as the paint was. "We meet here in an hour and a half, understood?" He told the group firmly. "Get what you need but don't go overboard. We are not that rich, and I would like to be able to afford at least three rooms at the Inn tonight." Lloyd nodded happily, before grabbing Forcystus without warning and pulling the protesting half-elf off to see the fountain. And, more than likely, question townspeople about his mother. Kratos sighed, shaking his head slowly, watching as Genis and Colette went off to look at the closest shop.

"…The things that half-elf puts up with," Raine remarked. "I'm surprised he can stand Lloyd, considering he's been around him almost constantly for about two months now." Kratos made a slight noise.

"Mmm. I shall go and book us into the Inn. Feel free to look around the town," he told her, avoiding remarking on the subject. Raine gave him a careful look.

"…I think I will accompany you," she decided, her suspicions suitably stirred. Kratos shrugged.

"As you wish," he replied, walking into the Inn without seeming perturbed. Raine followed, watching him. His behaviour regarding Lloyd had been strange, and she was being careful. The last thing she wanted was for Lloyd to be hurt by the strange mercenary, especially with what would happen to Colette at the end of their journey.

"Ah, sir, would you like a room?" The Innkeeper asked as Kratos walked in.

"I want to reserve rooms for a party of six, if there is room," he replied. The Innkeeper glanced down at her books.

"…We've three double rooms free. Separate beds," she replied. Kratos nodded.

"That will be just fine," he replied. The Innkeeper gave him a careful look, examining him more closely.

"…You look familiar," she decided eventually. Kratos looked back, seemingly unaffected by the scrutiny.

"…I have been here before," he replied. "However, I doubt I am who you think I am." The Innkeeper frowned at that.

"…Our Anna said some strange things about her angel. I was fairly young at the time, but I still remember it…" She murmured.

"…I do not know an Anna," Kratos replied curtly. "If you were too young, I highly suspect I also was. We will be back later." He turned abruptly and walked out, Raine following him with a frown on her face at the abrupt exchange.

"And just _what_ was that about?" She demanded once they got outside. Kratos shrugged.

"I have no idea," he replied, somehow managing to stay composed. _I can't give anything away in front of Raine; else she'll suspect me even more than she already does… Which is a lot, thanks mostly to Forcystus…_

"Anna… Do you think it is the same Anna as Lloyd's mother?" Raine asked, changing tack. Kratos shrugged again, following his usual routine of staying silent and saying nothing. It was a well-practiced and effective routine, at least in his opinion. Raine sighed.

"You're usually willing to help. What's got into you?" She asked, perplexed and frustrated. "You're… Confusing. And I think your current actions are hurting Lloyd. He doesn't understand."

"There are a lot of things that boy does not understand, and he must learn to accept that if he wishes to live a normal life," Kratos replied reasonably, looking up at the sky and sighing. "Luin… It has been a while since I was last here, I must say." Raine watched him carefully.

"…I see," she remarked. "Don't be too harsh on him. He's only a boy, really. He's not perfect, he makes mistakes. Give him some leeway," she told him. "I am going to make sure he doesn't drive Forcystus to suicide. Excuse me." She turned and walked away. Kratos sighed.

"…I know he is only a boy, Raine… He is my boy," he murmured once he was certain she was out of earshot. One of the townsfolk walked up to him then, making a remark about having seen him before, but he shrugged it off as he had with the Innkeeper. It hurt, denying having known Anna, but he had to, otherwise there would definitely be room for Raine to suspect him, and with good reason, too.

* * *

"…And they built the fountain last, as a sign that the city would always spring anew out of its ashes," Forcystus was saying as Raine walked up. "That was about… Oh, a hundred years after the Kharlan war? Hello, Miss Sage." Lloyd turned.

"Professor!" He exclaimed, surprised. "Forcystus was telling me about the history of Luin." Raine gave the half-elf an evil look.

"If you had listened in class you would know it already," she informed Lloyd icily. Lloyd looked a little abashed.

"Things are often more interesting if you are at the place in question," Forcystus told her, trying to placate her. "He probably didn't listen because it meant nothing to him then." Lloyd nodded slowly. Raine glared at the half-elf.

"What do you know about teaching?" She asked. "Where were you taught, hmm?" Forcystus flinched at the memory, making Lloyd and Raine look at him strangely.

"…Most of my knowledge was learnt first-hand, the rest of it I learnt… Where I grew up," he replied. Lloyd bit his lip.

"I thought you said…" He started, but Forcystus shook his head, holding out a hand to silence him. Raine gave him a strange look.

"And that is bad why?" She asked. Forcystus gave her a look.

"Where did _you_ learn?" He asked in return.

"From books," Raine replied curtly, looking affronted. "Of course."

"Of course," Forcystus repeated affably. "But books are not Lloyd's way. He learns by _doing_, not reading. Which is why he learns how to fight so well. Where has Kratos gone?" Raine looked a little startled by the sudden question.

"Ah… He was outside the Inn last time I saw him…" She replied eventually. "Why?" Forcystus tapped his nose and walked away, presumably to find said mercenary.

"…It is mom's city," Lloyd said quietly. "Forcystus said so. And he's a Desian, so he knows, 'cause mom was taken by the Desians… By Kvar." Raine gave him a worried look.

"You trust too easily," she told him. "And regardless of what that Desian has done, it is too risky for us to do anything." She made an unhappy noise, a mixture of frustration and uncertainty. "…I still do not trust Forcystus, either," she said eventually, surprising Lloyd. "I'd rather we didn't go anywhere near a Ranch with a Desian, ex or no, in our group. We must keep to the journey of Regeneration now, understood?" Lloyd nodded, although he looked unhappy about it.

"I know," he replied. "I won't do anything that'll put Colette in danger." Raine nodded.

"Good," she replied, looking up at the sky as the sun started to set. "We should head back to the Inn. Kratos booked us rooms." Lloyd sighed softly, running one hand through the water in the fountain.

"…I'll catch up," he told her. Raine sighed, walking away from him with a shake of her head. Lloyd looked after her, still running his fingers through the water. It wasn't fair. Why did the Desians have to take everything away from him like they had? His mother, his father, his home…

"Ok, ok! I'll be it this time!" A young woman agreed with a laugh, walking up with a throng of kids surrounding her.

"Yay! Everybody hide!" One child cried out in delight, and they all ran off, the woman staying there. Lloyd frowned, and she looked over.

"Wh-what are you looking at?!" She demanded, affronted. Lloyd laughed softly.

"That's pretty nice of you, playing with the kids like that," he remarked, a slight smile on his face. The woman looked affronted.

"Wh-what?" She demanded, clearly confused. "…Who are you?" Lloyd held out a slightly damp hand.

"Lloyd Irving," he replied. "You?" She seemed torn.

"…Sheena Fujibayashi," she confessed eventually, shaking his hand. "Ew, did anyone ever tell you not to put gloves in water?" She told him, wiping her hand dry on her trousers.

"Sorry about that," Lloyd replied sheepishly. "Stuff's been going on."

"Sheena! Come play!" One of the kids protested. Sheena laughed softly.

"Duty calls," she remarked. Lloyd stood up.

"I'll join in," he offered. "What is it, hide and seek?"

"Hide and seek _tag_," Sheena corrected with a smile. "I'll teach you the rules as we go along. It may involve you being dunked in the fountain if I'm that way inclined." Lloyd grinned.

"You'll have to catch me first!" He replied, running off, and Sheena laughed and chased aftr both him and the kids.

* * *

They were still playing half an hour later. Most of the kids had been called away, and although neither of them would really admit it, they were only still out there because they both enjoyed the spontaneous company of a friendly stranger.

That changed abruptly when Kratos walked up.

"Lloyd" he started, and Sheena froze.

"…You," she muttered, as Lloyd looked up at the sound of Kratos' voice.

"You talking to me now?" He asked, looking hurt. Sheena glanced between the two of them.

"…You're with them," she realised, sounding hurt. "…With the Chosen." Lloyd looked surprised.

"Yeah," he replied. "So?" Sheena clenched her fists.

"…We will meet again," she muttered, her voice cold and hard, and she vanished.

"Now look what you've done," Lloyd accused, not really understanding half of the situation. Kratos sighed.

"Yes, Lloyd. I apologise for last night… And for the strange behaviour of that ninja, if it appeases you," he replied. "I was wondering if you wished to train with me." Lloyd looked over in the vague direction of the Asgard Ranch, although it was hidden by the houses.

"…Yeah, please," he responded eventually. "I want to be stronger, so I can avenge my mom…" Kratos looked troubled.

"…We will pass by this town again later on in the journey. The last seal is the Tower of Mana, over there." He pointed. "…Leave Kvar for now. It is for the best." Lloyd sighed.

"Yeah… Alright," he replied. "But we can still train, right?" Kratos nodded.

"Of course," he responded. "Come with me." Lloyd followed the mercenary out into the woods skirting the town, looking back as they went and marvelling at how beautiful the sun setting on the city looked.

"…It's beautiful…" He murmured. Kratos nodded; a slight smile on his face.

"Yes, it is…" He agreed softly. Lloyd gave him a surprised look.

"I didn't think you liked anything," he remarked. "You're always so cold." Kratos laughed softly, drawing his sword with a ring of metal on metal.

"You may think so," he agreed. "Draw your swords." Lloyd did so, watching Kratos carefully, not eager to repeat the lesson on not watching your teacher that Forcystus had taught him. Kratos sighed sadly, noting that his stance had barely improved since their last lesson, and rushed him. Lloyd was taken off-guard despite trying to keep an eye on him, and he barely blocked. Kratos fought as though Lloyd was an enemy, and was disappointed to find that Lloyd was on the floor within about twenty seconds, Kratos' sword at his throat.

"Ow! Kratos, geez!" He protested as he got up, rubbing his sore arm. Kratos sighed irritably at Lloyd's apparent hopelessness.

"You must be able to protect yourself from any attack," he told him. "Even from me. There are others who are just as skilled as me in the world."

"I find that hard to believe," Lloyd muttered, now rubbing his elbow ruefully. "Even Forcystus thinks you're good, and Forcystus has been… Lots of places." Kratos frowned.

"I… See," he murmured, deciding that a questioning session with said half-elf was in order to find out the extent of Lloyd's knowledge. "Even so. You must be prepared." Lloyd sighed, readying his swords again.

"I know, I know…" He allowed grudgingly. "But you're so much better than me… It's not fair."

"You will improve," Kratos reassured him, walking over and physically moving his left hand into the right position. "There. Try to remember what I teach you, else there is little point in us having these lessons." Lloyd looked abashed.

"Sorry…" He apologised. "I try! I really do! I want to get stronger so I can protect Colette…" Kratos looked troubled, and he made a strange noise and walked off.

"…I see," he murmured. "…I hope you do grow to be that strong. Let us try something different." Lloyd gave him a funny look. "I shall hold back. I want you to floor me." Lloyd looked openly dubious then. "No, try. I shall fight as though I were trying not to hurt you. Come." He went for Lloyd then, and Lloyd fought back as well as he could. He could feel Kratos making a few stupid mistakes, missing him where he could have hit, and not taking openings that he left, and it made the young swordsman feel very inadequate, but he did his best, and eventually managed a downwards slash at Kratos' left side. "That will do," Kratos told him, jumping backwards elegantly. "That would disable an angel." Lloyd gave him a funny look.

"Will we have to fight Cruxis?" He asked dubiously. Kratos sighed, looking up at the sky.

"Know every weakness of every creature," he told Lloyd. "It is wise to be prepared. The weak point of an angel is the wings. I have… Queried Forcystus on this matter." Lloyd nodded. That made sense. If there was anyone to ask about Cruxis, it was Forcystus. "It is the only place a true angel can feel pain," Kratos continued. "The wings of an angel are delicate. Even pulling a single feather from the wings can cause discomfort, as has been proved with Colette." Lloyd pulled Forcystus' feather out of his pocket and looked at it dismally, pulling a face.

"Forcystus doesn't trust Cruxis," he remarked without thinking. Kratos laughed.

"I would imagine not. He is a Desian," he replied. Lloyd put the feather away with a sigh. "It would seem that, despite your words, the Desians _will_ attack the Chosen…"

"Magnius was deceived, Forcystus said so," Lloyd responded. "I don't know who by, though. But I doubt Yggdrasill will be pleased we destroyed one of the Ranches, so that's one good thing, I guess." Kratos looked troubled.

"Deceived indeed," he murmured. "I would advise against doing things specifically to anger an enemy leader when you know nothing of him."

"I've seen him," Lloyd responded. "So there! He hurt Forcystus. He's not a nice person at all." Kratos looked openly worried then.

"You must not provoke him, besides," he cautioned. "Don't go seeking the wrath of others." Lloyd nodded slowly.

"…I guess you're right," he agreed. "…Are you backing out of your promise, then?" He added, looking hurt, but Kratos shook his head.

"No, I will help you fight Kvar," he replied. "You will likely need the help, with what little progress you have made so far." He smiled wryly, and Lloyd frowned.

"I'm getting better!" he protested. Kratos nodded amiably.

"Perhaps… But not fast enough," he replied, readying his sword once more. "Try again." Lloyd nodded, rushing him to try and take him off-guard, and they spent the next twenty minutes training like that.

* * *

"…Whew… I'm beat," Lloyd remarked after being floored for the fifth time, certain his back would be more brown than skin-coloured in the morning with bruises. "Can't we go back to the Inn now?" Kratos shook his head.

"If you have the energy to talk, you have the energy to fight," he told him curtly. "Draw your swords." Lloyd looked at him incredulously.

"Are you serious?" He panted. "I'm exhausted! If I use up all the energy I have now, I won't have any to go back to the Inn with…" He trailed off as a piercing shriek sounded from close by, and Kratos' head shot round in the direction of the sound.

"…Draw your swords," he repeated softly. Deciding not to argue with this new threat present, Lloyd nervously got to his feet and picked up his swords, glancing in the direction Kratos was looking. "…It's after us. It must have picked up our scent whilst we were training," the mercenary muttered, clearly unhappy about the situation.

"Can't we leave?" Lloyd asked, but Kratos shook his head.

"No. It might follow us back to the village. The best thing to do would be to deal with it here," he responded. "It should not be a hassle. Get ready."

The monster, a giant plant-like creature, burst out of the foliage a few seconds later, and Kratos was instantly on it, hacking off a tentacle and evading an attack instantly. Lloyd rushed it too, despite how tired he was, determined to prove himself useful, and Kratos noted that and instantly changed his tactics to try and keep Lloyd out of danger. Lloyd's swords practically bounced off the creature's tough body, so he decided to go for the tentacles like Kratos was, and he managed to hack a couple off before, despite Kratos' efforts, one of the spine-covered appendages raked its way down his back, and he fell to the floor with a cry of pain, trying desperately to reach for his dropped swords to defend himself.

"Lloyd!" Kratos exclaimed, horrified, instantly running around to the downed boy and blocking an otherwise fatal attack. "Get back if you can!" Lloyd hissed through his teeth as he tried to move.

"Ow… I think I've broken a rib…" He lamented. Kratos cursed softly under his breath, and decided that a slightly different tactic to his normal ones would be necessary. He would have to use some of his better spells, despite the suspicion that Lloyd might get of him. Gritting his teeth, he jumped back to just in front of Lloyd and held his sword across his other hand, mana gathering around his feet.

"Burn," he hissed at it. "Hell Pyre!" He leapt into the air, fire magic flaring at the monster's feet, before diving at it, cleaving it in two with a burning blade. The creature shrieked as it died, but Kratos paid it minimal attention, landing and going straight to Lloyd, who was looking green. There was a lot of blood.

"Ow…" He lamented ruefully.

"Lloyd…" Kratos murmured, turning the injured teen over to get a better look at the wound. "…You need to be more careful. One mistake could cost you your life."

"…I know that! If I wasn't so tired…" Lloyd protested weakly, crying out as Kratos tugged something out of the wound that hurt like hell. "Ow! What was that for?!" Kratos sighed.

"I am trying to get the poison spines out of your wound, otherwise you will only end up worse off after I heal you," he explained patiently, one hand on Lloyd's back to stop him from getting up. "Hold still." Lloyd yelped as another was removed, with a worried look still on Kratos' face. He pulled out another three, much to Lloyd's dismay, before he decided they were all gone.

"Ow. Ow, ow, ow," Lloyd moaned, trying to turn around. Kratos sighed, holding a hand above him.

"Healing Wind," he whispered, and green-white light flowed around the boy. Kratos could hear Lloyd's breathing ease as the pain went, and he put one hand on Lloyd's side to stop him from trying to get up. "Take it easy," he warned him. "You've still got the poison in your system. Here." He pulled a Panacea bottle from a pocket, pulled the stopper off it and offered it to Lloyd, who gave it a disgusted look. Sighing, Kratos helped Lloyd to sit against the nearest tree and practically forced the Panacea down his throat. "It's for your own good," he told the unwilling boy. "I have not as large a range of healing magic as Raine. This will have to do. I would rather not have had you try to attempt the walk back to Luin with all that poison in your blood." Lloyd made a weak noise.

"…Thanks," he murmured, a sheepish grin on his face. "…I guess you were right. I made a really stupid mistake…" Kratos shook his head.

"Pay me no mind. I was worried," he replied. "It was not foolish; it was only to be expected of someone who is still learning. In time you will learn to anticipate your foe's attacks and be ready to block. It is a technique that comes with practise."

"…In time," Lloyd repeated grumpily, trying to get up, but Kratos kept him down. "What?" Kratos sighed.

"You must not overexert yourself. Take _care_," he cautioned. Lloyd looked put out. "If you try and walk back now you may well collapse," Kratos added. Lloyd glared at him.

"So, what, are you going to _carry_ me back?" He pointed out. "I can walk! Let me up! Stop fussing over me like I'm a child! I'm not a kid! I'm 17!" Kratos sighed at Lloyd's protests.

"Technically, at 17 you are still a child," he informed Lloyd gently. "If you try to get up now, you will ikely only end up back where you started." Lloyd, irritated, attempted to stand but only ended up proving the more worldly-wise mercenary correct. "Just calm down," Kratos told him, an amused look on his face now that he was certain Lloyd was all right. "Rest here for a while, just for a few minutes, then we will return. The worst thing you could do now is to push yourself." Lloyd pouted miserably, and Kratos chuckled and stood up. "Stay there," he ordered the younger man, before going over to the corpse of the giant plant creature and summarily incinerating it. Lloyd watched his prowess with magic with slightly envious eyes, wishing that he had the elven blood that would let him use such a powerful force. Kratos didn't seem to notice Lloyd's eyes on him as he grunted in irritation at the ashes, before calling more magic, wind this time, to scatter them. "And stay away," he muttered, a slightly irritated edge to his voice. "Pathetic…" Lloyd shifted, grunting slightly. It still hurt a little. It only irritated him more to learn that Kratos had been right.

"…We can't stay out here too long… There's more monsters around, right?" He asked the mercenary, who turned to look at him, his rust-red eyes hiding something.

"…Yes. However, the only way we would be able to get back now would be for me to carry you, which I am sure you will not appreciate," he replied. "Just wait a few more minutes. I can handle anything that may come to attack." Lloyd sighed in despair.

"…I'm sorry…" He apologised again, woefully aware of his own inadequacy in the face of Kratos' skill.

"Everyone makes mistakes," Kratos replied amiably. "Although you will no doubt feel the lack of sleep in the morning, but it cannot be helped." Lloyd, right on cue, yawned, and Kratos smiled slightly. "You may sleep if you wish," he allowed. "Just for a little while. I will wake you when I think you are strong enough to travel back." He frowned slightly. "The others may have become a little concerned by now, but I believe all of them save perhaps Raine trust me to take care of you."

"You wouldn't betray us… Would you?" Lloyd asked sleepily, his eyes half closed.

"I wouldn't hurt you," Kratos replied. "Not physically." Lloyd frowned slightly.

"You're on our side… Right?" He asked. Kratos sighed softly.

"Yes, Lloyd… I am on your side," he replied. "Even if it does not always seem that way."

"Promise?"

"…Yes. I promise," Kratos replied, hating himself for it. "But, Lloyd, people sometimes seem as though they are breaking a promise, when they may in fact be doing the only thing that is possible to keep it. Think on that."

"…Can we go back yet?" Lloyd asked; his eyes heavy with the need for sleep. Kratos shook his head.

"Wait a little longer," he replied, and Lloyd gave in to the temptation and fell fast asleep.

* * *

He woke a few minutes later; uncertain of what it was that had actually woken him. Sleepily, he looked about for Kratos, and saw him stood a little way off, one hand on the hilt of his sword… And he was singing softly. Lloyd was surprised, he hadn't thought of Kratos as the singing type. He seemed to fit the 'strong and silent' bill quite well, in fact.

"Sleep, my child, sleep soft in your cradle, guided by wand'ring stars high above, I'll clothe you with moonshine and sing you to sleep, so sleep, my loved one, sleep deep." Kratos had a deep, soft voice, as gentle as Lloyd remembered his father's being, from those childhood memories he could barely recall.

"…Dad…" He murmured sadly, and Kratos turned.

"Lloyd?" He asked; a slight frown on his face. "I thought you were sleeping." He seemed concerned by this. Lloyd laughed softly, still sleepy, and he rubbed his eyes.

"Your singing woke me up," he replied. "It… Reminded me of how my dad used to sound… I think." Kratos sighed, walking over to him and holding out his hand.

"Try standing," he offered, and Lloyd grabbed his hand and got slowly to his feet. "Lean on me. I think it will be safe for us to return now," Kratos explained, and Lloyd nodded, using the mercenary as support. They walked back to Luin like that, Kratos wearing a permanently troubled expression that worried Lloyd. Had he really caused Kratos that much worry?

_I hope he's not mad at me…_ He thought ruefully. He'd tried his best, but he'd been worn out from their training before and hadn't dodged in time, and now he was causing Kratos all this trouble…

"Do not worry," Kratos told him softly, as though sensing his discomfort. "I will not say anything to the others if that is what you desire. Everyone makes mistakes, and you were tired. I am simply glad that you were not more grievously injured."

"…Thanks…" Lloyd replied. "…I'm sorry…" Kratos shook his head.

"Do not worry," he repeated, walking up to the Inn, allowing Lloyd to stand by himself as they walked in, but none of their group were there to comment. "It was not your fault." He hesitated, uncertain. "…Get some sleep. Hopefully you will be fully recovered by morning," he settled for eventually. Lloyd nodded, heading off to the room Kratos indicated. The latter waited until he was in, and he could hear his breathing slow to a sleeper's rhythm through the door, before going in himself. "…Lloyd…" He murmured softly, brushing his hair from his eyes and watching him stir in his sleep with a soft murmur. With a sigh, he went to sit on the other bed, to wait out the night until the morning came.

Angels such as he did not have the luxury of sleep to help them pass the time.

* * *

**A/N - **I'm starting to confuse myself with this angel issue, after a long hard thinking session when detailing out backstory. How many of Derris-Kharlan's angels are feelingless like Colette becomes? I thought most of them were meant to be, but then we have Remiel, and that angel who gives you the mana fragment seems to be able to feel flustered, at least... Help out a girl in distress?

On another note - Holiday yay! :D:D


	21. Chapter eight: Winds of the Dead

**Strange and sporadic update days fail, I know, I'm sorry.** *offers internet cookies in apology*

I should (emphasis on the _should_) be going back to a Weds/Thurs update now, those two Fridays were anomalies, I promise.

Does anyone here watch/read/know about BLEACH? Do any of the people that applies to know/care about a certain Espada called Ulquiorra? GAH KUBO *waits for chapter 353 whilst biting fingernails*

Sorry about that, all you non-Bleachers, but I have to get it out of my system. I am worried. Very worried.

If anything in this chapter doesn't make sense, it will either a) be explained in the upcoming chapters or b) be blamed upon staying up until 2am writing this. No joke. I've been giving my room the most major tidy-out it has EVER SEEN, so I snuck in writing after tidying/work (work still eats my life, unfortunately). But my Beta (Freakyanimegal) says it's (mostly) ok, so there we go. Yay for tea-induced energy. 2am is surprisingly full of inspiration.

Last chapter of Book 2! Next week we'll have Book 3: Untold Despair. A cookie for anyone who can tell me where that's from. No wait, let's make it a competition. I'll write a short oneshot for the first person who can tell me what it's from XD

100 REVIEWS YAY!

freaky: I know how it feels Never mind ^^

LikeAGlintOfLight: Yes XD Raine doesn't like it either. It's because of their friendship - they gel better than Lloyd does with Raine, since although Lloyd sees her as a friend, she's a teacher first. Forcy is just a friend... Now, at least. Before then, he learnt fast because he wanted to get one up on Forcy.  
Ahaha, yes, a lot on that in this chapter ;)

Dieuwtjin: ...That's a hard name to spell, I think I'll copy and paste in future. That was quite possibly the single most awesome review I have ever had, ever, period. Thank you SO SO MUCH. *hugs* I'm honoured that you took the time to type all that out for me. I'm glad you like the story, 'cause it's my baby right now ^^ And the longest story I've ever written. And it's nowhere near finished. *Joy*

Symphoniafan: Heheh, he probs woulda done if Lloyd wouldn't've kicked up a fuss about it. ^^  
An interesting point of view - applied emotions, that is. I'll be bearing that in mind. Thanks for the help ^^

sliver: It's Shelloyd, ForcyRaine and GenisPresea, that's what's planned at least. (And, I think, possilby what it says on the first page? I haven't looked at chapter one for months XD) The focus won't be on the romance, really, but it'll be there. Also - yay, you're the 100th reviewer ^^

"Normal speech", _thoughts,_ "~_angelic speech~_"

* * *

Chapter eight: Winds of the Dead

The group departed Luin the next day, heading back to the House of Salvation that was the half-way point between them and their destination. Lloyd had, much to his relief, recovered fully during the night, thanks in part to Kratos' expert healing skills, and he was fighting as well as he normally did whenever they came across monsters during the journey. Forcystus did make a remark to him as they walked about Kratos looking out for him more than usual, but Lloyd brushed it off. If Forcystus knew he'd made such a stupid mistake the night before he would never live it down.

Kratos gave Lloyd the opportunity of another training session when they stopped at the House of Salvation for the night, and Lloyd, despite Kratos' doubts, took it gladly. He noted that Kratos didn't take them too far from the chapel itself, probably in case they were attacked again, but that didn't bother Lloyd too much. He worked as hard as he could, determined to impress Kratos, and the mercenary had a slight smile on his face when he eventually called a halt to the session.

"You did well," he remarked. "Has last night's incident put things into perspective for you?" Lloyd grinned sheepishly, sheathing his swords.

"I guess," he replied. "I just want to be as good as you someday. I want to be useful."

"I am sure you will be more than at my level someday," Kratos replied with a sad smile. _I hope you are, for your own sake._ Lloyd grinned enthusiastically at him.

"Thanks!" He responded exuberantly, heading into the chapel. Kratos watched him go, a torn look on his face. The more time he spent with the naïve Lloyd, the harder it became to accept that he would have to betray him in the end.

* * *

They set off for the Balacruf Mausoleum the next morning.

"My count will be up to six, soon!" Forcystus told Lloyd in an almost amused voice as they walked. "Now, can you remember which summons are left in Sylvarant?" Lloyd frowned thoughtfully, trying to remember.

"Uh…" He murmured. "Well, I think, er, Efreet, and, er, Celsius?" He offered. Forcystus shook his head.

"Half right," he responded. "They visited Efreet's seal while you were still at the Ranch. The one that's left is Luna. She's the summon spirit of light." Lloyd nodded slowly.

"She's the one in the tower of Mana, right?" He asked. Forcystus nodded.

"Yes. To form a pact with her, you'd need to find Aska, a large, two-headed bird summon. I must have mentioned him in passing at least once." Lloyd shrugged. If Aska had been mentioned he didn't remember. "So, this is Sylph. I'm going to presume you've forgotten their names," Forcystus continued, persevering in the face of Lloyd's selective amnesia. Lloyd nodded sheepishly. "Sephie, Yutie and Fairess," Forcystus listed again. "And the opposite of Sylph is Gnome, the summon spirit of Earth. His temple is north of Meltokio somewhere." Lloyd just nodded, trying his hardest to take it all in and failing somewhat miserably. "Would you like me to tell you where the other seals are, or would I be wasting my breath?" Forcystus asked quietly. Lloyd looked up at him and mumbled something incomprehensible, making the half-elf laugh kindly. "I'll tell you. Celsius is close by Flanoir, the snowy city. Shadow is up in the mountains south of Meltokio. Maxwell is in Exire I believe, and Volt is north of Mizuho. I've told you about Origin." Lloyd nodded.

"It'd be more useful if I knew where any of those places are…" He grumbled. Forcystus nodded in understanding.

"But it is good to know. You'll never go to Tethe'alla anyway, I'm sure, but still…" Lloyd sighed.

"Were you looking forward to going back to Tethe'alla?" He asked quietly, feeling a little guilty for taking that opportunity from him. Forcystus made an uncertain noise, looking out at the horizon.

"It matters very little to me where I am, my situation does not change," he replied, his voice soft now, saddened. "Apart from it satisfying some base desire for revenge on those of Sybak… And they are probably different people anyway, now, so it would mean nothing… I have no strong desire to return to my homeland." Lloyd could tell by the look in his eyes that he was lying. He _had_ wanted to go back to Tethe'alla; probably because it was his birthplace. Lloyd sighed. He had no idea where _he_ had been born; apart from that it was on Sylvarant… And he couldn't even be 100 percent certain of that, really, since he had no idea of the background of his parents.

"Lloyd!" Kratos called. "Up ahead is the Mausoleum, look." Genis, Raine and Colette, being at the front of the group, had already had it pointed out. The huge stone structure dominated the horizon, the white pillars of rock at each corner stretching up to the sky, reminding all who passed through of the status of the dead of the Balacruf Dynasty.

"Wow," Lloyd remarked, running up to be level with Kratos. "It's real imposing, isn't it?" Kratos chuckled, looking up at it.

"It is a tomb to honour the dead. It is designed to be imposing," he replied. "The rulers of the Balacruf Empire used to be buried here." Lloyd nodded, wondering how they had managed to build something so huge. Maybe they'd had magitechnology…

"I wonder if Sylvarant was the flourishing one when that Empire existed…" Lloyd wondered aloud, squinting at the building in the distance as if it would answer his question. Kratos glanced at him, a strange look in his rust-red eyes.

"I would imagine so," he replied evenly, just before Lloyd's phrasing registered in his mind. _The flourishing one?_ "…Although your phrasing was strange," he added, frowning. Lloyd cursed himself inwardly for the stupid slip, looking abashed.

"Yeah… Dunno why I said that," he agreed. Kratos' mouth tightened to a thin line, and he glanced back at Forcystus. The amused look on the half-elf's face vanished under the strength of Kratos' glare.

_Lloyd knows about Tethe'alla_, Kratos thought, turning away from Forcystus to look back at the teen, both he and the half-elf aware that _words_ would be had later. _Forcystus must have told him whilst he was in the Ranch… What on earth has possessed him, to tell him something like that? How much does he know?_ He looked at Lloyd, trying to gauge how odd he had found his initial agreement, but the red-clad boy seemed to have already forgotten the exchange, or wasn't going to mention it because he thought he'd made himself look the fool. That was some comfort – there was no suspicion there.

Kratos quickly went over everything he'd told Lloyd in his head, wondering if there was anything there to warrant suspicion, presuming Lloyd remembered it. Heimdall. He had said he was from Heimdall. If Lloyd knew it was in Tethe'alla… He shot another glance back at Forcystus. He would have to rely on Forcystus having kept quiet, Lloyd's naivety and willingness to believe in his friends, or both. The consequences of exposure would be grave, and not just for him and the half-elf. For all of them.

* * *

Lloyd and Kratos both walked in silence all the way up to the entrance of the Mausoleum grounds, both of them looking awkward, Kratos thinking, Lloyd fretting. Forcystus took the initiative, to make sure poor Lloyd didn't die of worry that Kratos thought him an idiot, so he walked up to the both and set up a conversation about Sylvarant's summons with Lloyd that only earned him a disapproving look from Kratos. A very disapproving look, and one that made him stumble over sentences more than once.

* * *

"Go up to the altar and offer the map there," Raine told Colette once they reached the middle of the Mausoleum grounds, handing the young Chosen the stone tablet. She took it with a nod and went up to the stone plinth, gasping in surprise as the stone physically opened up, revealing a slot about the same size as the tablet. "The ruin is responding to the map!" Raine enthused, ecstatic about that for some reason. Forcystus was watching this with interest, too; possibly gearing up for an argument with Raine about what kind of mechanism caused the movement. Kratos sighed irritably.

"Place the map in the slot," he told Colette curtly, and she nodded and quickly did so, eager to please to make up for the out-of-the-way visits they'd had.

There was a noise of rumbling that sounded to Lloyd an awful lot like some of the machines at the Ranch, and an Oracle stone appeared from thin air in front of the plinth. Kratos grabbed Lloyd's wrist with a stern glare as he moved towards it, but although his eyes showed nothing but disapproval, he was inwardly concerned that Lloyd would activate it. Kratos would have hated himself for it if he could… Not to mention the questions it would have raised.

"It's an oracle stone!" Genis exclaimed, going up to it. Lloyd glared at Kratos.

"Of course. It _is_ the seal," Forcystus remarked. A grinning Colette placed her hand on the stone, and the stone doors in front of them slid open with another mechanical-sounding rumble.

"Let's get this over with," Lloyd muttered, irritated by Kratos' inhibition and his earlier mistake. He hadn't stopped _Genis _going up to the stone! Kratos sighed and let go of him, and Lloyd ran into the Mausoleum after Colette.

* * *

Inside the temple itself, darkness was the prevailing feature. The sound of rushing wind created an eerie symphony of echoes, like the dead were calling out warning to the intruders upon the sacred burial ground.

Forcystus walked in after Lloyd, looking around approvingly and running one hand over the wall, analysing on instinct.

"This is cool!" Lloyd exclaimed, his mood changing instantly from irritable and bored to excited and surprised. "I feel like an explorer!" Kratos sighed in despair.

"You always start out enthusiastic…" He muttered, wondering how long it would take Lloyd to get bored _this_ time.

* * *

They wandered around the seal for a while, with Forcystus telling an only slightly bored Lloyd about the Balacruf Dynasty in between arguing with Raine about the composition of the various pieces of stone they encountered.

"There's writing on this one!" Lloyd exclaimed as they came to one tablet. He tried using the fire from the Sorcerer's Ring on the torch, but the wind blew it out. He regarded the unlit torch irritably.

"Block the wind," Forcystus suggested. "Kratos, you and I could form a sort of barrier, could we not? Then Lloyd can light the torch and Raine can decipher the writing." Kratos nodded curtly.

"That would be best," he agreed, although his voice had a hint of coldness in it. Lloyd shot him a worried look, but Kratos had given Forcystus a nod and they both cast Guardian at once, holding the shield there. Lloyd quickly lit the torch, and Raine set about reading the writing.

"…Lapis Lazuli body…" Raine was murmuring, writing the translation down on the nearest substance to hand, which fortunately was her ever-handy pad which normally contained monster data. "…I've got it. It doesn't seem to mean much, but if we ever need it it's there." Forcystus and Kratos let down their Guardians, the wind rushing past them and blowing out the torch instantly, and Lloyd noted that both swordsmen looked fairly tired.

"Let's move on," Kratos suggested curtly, so they did.

* * *

They met two more tablets inscribed with Balacruf writing, both of which Raine wrote down. Eventually, they came to a door, with an unlit torch either side. Lloyd was rubbing his hand, having caught it on the moving spikes as they dodged through them.

"…I don't see what deadly spikes will do to honour the dead," he grumbled at Kratos, who was putting an Apple Gel on the wound as Genis lit the torches with his magic.

"It is to stop others from getting in and raiding the tombs," Kratos replied. "There. You should be fine now." Lloyd nodded.

"Thanks," he murmured. "Are we done yet? Is the seal through there?"

"No, just some fans and another door," Genis called from the other room. Lloyd sighed.

"You have no patience," Kratos scolded him. "Get moving." Grumbling, Lloyd walked through the door with Kratos to see Forcystus deep in discussion with Raine about how to open the door.

"No, look! The fans are all made of the materials mentioned in the writings! If we turn the fans in the order mentioned on the tablets, we should be able to open the door!" Forcystus insisted. "I can set them going with my wind magic, you tell me the order." Raine nodded, pad in hand.

"Ready?" She asked. Forcystus nodded, wind mana gathering around his feet. "Ruby first." Forcystus called up wind magic around it obligingly. "Now Topaz. Third is emerald. Now opal, and Lapis Lazuli last." Forcystus did all as asked, and even Genis was marvelling at his magic control. He had practically set up a miniature hurricane in the room, but no wind had even escaped the area with the fans. Once all five were turning, there were more mechanical sounds and the door slid open. Sunlight edged its way into the room as Forcystus' magic faded away.

"Finally!" Lloyd exclaimed, thoroughly bored now the excitement had worn off, and Kratos sighed in resignation.

"You are hopeless," he muttered as the group minus Forcystus, who had paused to catch his breath, filed up the stairs. "Stay down here," Kratos told him under his breath. "Else Remiel will say something and Lloyd will guess, which will not be good. For _either_ of us." Forcystus nodded, not replying but suitably chastised, and Kratos followed the group up the stairs.

* * *

"Wait!" Genis called out to Colette as she approached the seal. "I can sense some really powerful mana coming from the seal!"

"Get back," Kratos ordered her curtly, drawing his sword and walking forwards. "Lloyd, with me." Lloyd nodded, getting his swords out and walking up to Kratos quickly as a huge, spiky bird-like creature formed above the seal. The two swordsmen barely had time to react before it dived at them, but Kratos countered it effectively and Lloyd instantly moved in with a slash. Collette had her wings out, chanting softly under her breath, and Genis was preparing a water spell that he had to cancel and swiftly dodge as bright, spiky feathers shot out from the creature's wings at him.

"Where's Forcystus?" Lloyd asked Kratos as they fought, jumping backwards to avoid a kick from one of the taloned feet.

"Catching his breath from casting that spell," the mercenary replied. "Concentrate!" Lloyd nodded, rebuked, almost turning around when an almost unearthly sound came from behind them – Colette was singing. In Angelic. Marvelling at just how much power she now had, Lloyd forced himself to concentrate on the creature, noting that Kratos was trying to guide him as they fought. The older man always seemed to be thinking of Lloyd's safety, or at least of his training…

* * *

Kratos dealt the finishing blow; cleaving a wing clean off the bird-creature and watching it fall to the floor in a glow of mana. He made a derisive noise, then nodded to Colette, who approached the seal nervously.

"Chosen of Regeneration. You have done well in reaching this far," Remiel's voice floated down to them from the sky. "Offer your prayers at the altar." Colette went up and spread her wings, reciting her prayer as a glowing white light drifted down, and Remiel appeared in front of them, flexing his wings. The look on his face when he first looked at Colette reminded Lloyd too much of the look Yggdrasill had given Forcystus. It was pure contempt. "This is the third seal. You have done well in reaching this far, Chosen one, Colette." His voice seemed to betray none of the hatred he had so briefly shown, but Lloyd could see a similar look in Kratos' eyes as he regarded the angel carefully. Lloyd remembered what he'd said about a wing being an angel's weak spot…

_If I ever have to fight him, I'll go for his wings,_ he decided. _I never thought we would… But the look in his eyes! And if Yggdrasill is a part of Cruxis… I have to be prepared for anything._

"Thank you," Colette murmured softly. Lloyd saw Remiel's eyes scan the group, as though looking for someone – Forcystus? Kratos murmured something under his breath that Lloyd didn't catch, and Remiel looked back at Colette.

"Receive this blessing of additional angelic power from Cruxis," he told her, raising his hand, and coloured lights glowed around Colette, her wings giving off a vibrant light.

"Yes, father… Th-thank you," Colette murmured, looking at the floor. Lloyd though he saw a flicker of irritation in Remiel's eyes.

"The next seal lies far northwest, in a place that gazes upon the centre of the world," he informed them. Lloyd glanced over at Kratos, wanting anything but the angel to focus on, not understanding his own suspicions. The mercenary seemed irritated, looking at Remiel with a slight frown on his face, a distaste akin to the way he looked at Desians in his eyes. Remiel, on the other hand, was outwardly ignoring the mercenary, his eyes surveying every member of the group _but_ him. Lloyd found this odd, but could find no reason for it, so disregarded it. "Offer your prayers at that distant altar," Remiel told Colette, finishing his instructions.

"I shall do as you say… Lord Remiel," Colette replied obediently, not looking up. Again, Lloyd saw that flicker of irritation in Remiel's eyes.

"I shall be waiting for you at the next seal, Colette… My daughter," he told her, and she looked up then. Light gathered about Remiel. "The end of your journey is close," he added. "Hurry and become a true angel… Do not disappoint me." He vanished in a glow of light and feathers.

"Like Yggdrasill…" Lloyd murmured, not liking the tone he had heard in Remiel's voice.

"A true angel…" Colette murmured, alighting on the floor, her wings disappearing in a glow of light.

"What's wrong, Colette?" Genis asked her. Colette put on her best smile.

"Ah, I was just thinking, when I become a true angel, it'll be amazing!" She replied. Genis nodded, smiling back, but Lloyd frowned.

"…I'm not sure… It's… All that great," he murmured softly.

"All we can do is keep going," Kratos cut in curtly, walking past him, towards the stairs.

"Why don't you like Remiel?" Lloyd asked, seizing the opportunity and catching up to him. Kratos gave him a strange look.

"…I have no opinion either way on that angel," he replied, and Lloyd could have sworn he caught a hint of loathing in the word 'angel', that same flash of distaste in his eyes, coupled with… self-loathing?

"…Are all angels good?" He asked uncertainly as they entered the pinwheel room, where Forcystus gave the group a slight, hopeful smile. Kratos made an undecided noise under his breath, glancing at Forcystus.

"…That is the definition of the word," he replied eventually. "However…" He stopped and shook his head. "I have no idea. The only angels I have ever seen are… Remiel and Colette." The hesitation in his voice was barely noticeable, but Lloyd gave him a funny look all the same.

"…I know one evil angel…" He murmured, and Kratos' eyes narrowed. Yggdrasill again. It had to be. He knew that the leader of the Desians was an angel. Could he blame Forcystus for that? He glanced at the half-elf in question. No… If Lloyd knew that, then events would have been out of Forcystus' control. He would never have let him escape the Ranch otherwise.

"You feeling alright now, Forcystus?" Lloyd asked, concerned. The half-elf nodded, getting to his feet.

"Yes," he replied, waving a hand dismissively. "Is Colette?" Lloyd frowned and looked at her, and she smiled encouragingly.

"…Yeah… Why?" He asked, confused. Forcystus shrugged.

"Just wondered. Let's go," he suggested, giving Colette a worried look. She smiled slightly back at him, and Kratos made an irritated noise at Forcystus' meddling. He was pushing it. Forcystus looked away, aware of that now, not wanting to incite any more of the wrath of an angel than he had already attracted.

"We must press on," Kratos muttered, walking out of the next door without anyone being able to say otherwise. Lloyd shot Forcystus a confused look and ran to catch up with him, wishing he had some clue of what was going on.

* * *

They worked their way back to the entrance with minimal problems, until they reached the corridor that lead to the entrance itself.

"Stop!" A voice demanded. The group, confused, stopped, which perhaps wasn't the wisest of moves.

"That voice…" Lloyd murmured, certain he'd heard it before. Where…?

"Oh, no," Genis moaned as the ninja who had harassed them on the Ossa Trail jumped down in front of them. Lloyd made a noise of surprise. It was Sheena!

"This day has finally come. This ancient ruin shall be your graveyard!" She declared, a card in her hand. Lloyd shook his head.

"What? Why are you fighting us?" He asked, going over to her. She held her cards threateningly, the small creature on her shoulder growling threateningly.

"I won't be taken in by you!" She told him determinedly. "You're with her, so-"

"Oh, you're here, too!" The 'her' in question, Colette, exclaimed with a big smile on her face, taking a step forward.

"S-stay back! Don't move!" Sheena demanded, clapping her hands together above her head. A creature formed itself out of smoke, a bird with a hooked beak and a compass on its back.

"Why do we have to fight now we've finally become friends?" Colette asked, confused.

"Sheena! Please! What's wrong?" Lloyd asked, desperate for an answer, seeing the despairing look on Kratos' face, and the frown on Forcystus'.

"Guardian Seals?" The half-elf murmured. "I thought they were only…"

"Since when are we…?" The ninja started to answer Colette's question, before shaking her head to cut herself off. "I have no intention of befriending you! Nothing that has happened in the past will change my mission or weaken my resolve! Prepare yourselves!" Kratos made a slight noise and shot forward, drawing his sword and hitting the ninja in the stomach with the pommel as he did so. She fell backwards with a cry, the creature on her shoulder jumping down to avoid injury. She tried to struggle up, but Kratos met her with a swift kick and had the point of his sword at her throat before she could react.

"Sheena!" The animal exclaimed, distraught, as she looked fearfully at the point of the sword.

"Kratos! No!" Lloyd exclaimed, horrified, running up and spreading his arms, as though it would stop the mercenary finishing her if he chose. Kratos made a disapproving noise, his hand moving ever-so-slightly, but the point of the sword still just shy of Sheena's neck.

"Why… Why can't I win?" The downed ninja murmured, despair and hopelessness in her eyes.

"Goodness and love will always win!" Genis retorted. Kratos looked at Lloyd, who met his eyes defiantly, then withdrew his sword. He kept it pointed in her direction as she struggled to her feet, the creature bounding up onto her shoulder once more.

"Genis, please don't bring up that stupid Dwarven Vow," Lloyd told him irritably. That was the one he hated the most. It was so clichéd… And so _wrong_. If goodness and love always won, they wouldn't be journeying in the first place.

"Goodness? If you're good, I'm good as well!" Sheena retorted angrily, rubbing one arm with a wince. Lloyd sighed.

"Why is everyone saying such corny things?" He wondered miserably. "Why are we even fighting in the first place?"

"What do you know!?" She exclaimed. "When you regenerate the world, my country will be destroyed!" There was a flicker of shock in the eyes of both Kratos and Forcystus. Colette frowned.

"But… When I regenerate the world… Everyone will be saved… Right?" She asked. Lloyd's eyes widened and he shot a look at Forcystus, who shrugged, a look of slight confusion on his face.

"This world will be saved!" The ninja yelled; her voice catching as she tried not to cry at her failure, and she turned and fled, not looking back.

"Sheena!" Lloyd called, reaching out after her as if to stop her.

"Wait! So you're not alone?" Raine called, but she was already gone.

"…This world…" Lloyd repeated, sounding dismayed, a frown on his face. _This world_ meant Sylvarant. Did that make her Tethe'allan? Was that even possible? She was human, wasn't she?

"That girl…" Kratos murmured; his face puzzled, unhappy. "…Is she…?"

"You know her?" Genis asked, but Kratos shook his head curtly.

"No. Let us get out of here," he replied, sheathing his sword and walking on. Lloyd looked at Forcystus.

"That creature… Was that a summon?" The half-elf murmured. "It's not one I've ever seen or heard of, but it had to be…" Lloyd frowned.

"I thought you said…" He started. "…She… She _is_ human, right?" Forcystus nodded.

"Yes… She's human… It's possible…" He murmured, thoughtful. "Almost unthinkable, but possible… If they had help…" He glanced in the direction Kratos had gone, then shook his head. "…We'll see. Come on." Lloyd bit his lip as Forcystus headed in the direction of the door, just after Colette. The half-elf's timing turned out to be perfect, as he managed to catch Colette as she fell unexpectedly just before the steps. She made a slight noise of shock. "I expected this…" Forcystus murmured, helping her back to her feet, where he continued to support her when she started to sway.

"It's the Angel Toxicosis again," Raine decided. "We must hurry and let her rest."

"I'm sorry to trouble everyone again…" Colette murmured apologetically, trying to move forwards away from Forcystus, but falling instead. Forcystus made a shocked noise and quickly went to her side again, where she was frowning.

"Are you alright?" Genis asked, concerned, and he and Lloyd went up to her.

"Hehe… No, I'm fine, I just blanked out for a moment," Colette replied, her usual smile on her face again. Forcystus frowned.

"We shall set up camp a little further away from the Mausoleum," Kratos murmured. "Forcystus, I shall take Colette." It was not a request. Forcystus looked up.

"…Of course," he murmured, the soft, respectful tone that Lloyd had only ever heard him use when talking to Yggdrasill in his voice as Kratos walked up and picked up Colette, who was looking slightly dazed.

"Forcystus?" Lloyd asked, confused, but the half-elf waved him away, watching Kratos with a slight frown on his face.

"_~What do I do~?_" He whispered, looking almost lost.

"Forcystus…? Are you alright?" Lloyd asked, concerned. Forcystus sighed, shaking his head as if to clear it.

"…Just fine," he reassured him, waving a hand to dismiss the matter. "Come on. We mustn't let Kratos do all the work." Lloyd, looking confused, followed Forcystus over to where Kratos had gone, now having absolutely no idea what was going on.

* * *

Night fell quickly – they had clearly spent longer in the Mausoleum than they'd first thought. Kratos had collared Forcystus, who was sat by the fire, with the grim promise of an interrogation in his eyes.

"~…_Lloyd knows more than he says,~_" Kratos muttered in Angelic as he and Forcystus watched the teen questioning a desperately evasive Colette about all things angel transformation. Forcystus sighed, running one hand down his face as if it would help him organise his thoughts, or come up with a reasonable excuse.

"~_He knows what I have told him, that is all,~_" he replied eventually. "~_It seemed only fair that he should know a little…~_" He trailed off as Kratos glared at him, realising that that had not been the right answer.

"~_It would have been better for him to have been kept in the dark. How much does he know?~_" Kratos demanded. There was a slightly icy edge to his voice that made Forcystus wince.

"~_O-only a little, my Lord…~"_ He replied uncertainly, running one hand over the one that held his Exsphere, nervous now, concerned. Kratos continued to glare, his eyes cold, but worry in his heart. "~_I…~" _Forcystus started, before biting his lip and sighing, resigned to his fate._ "~He knows that the Cruxis Crystal is a type of Exsphere, and of Tethe'alla, and a bit about the summons…~_"

"~_You told him about the Cruxis Crystal? How stupid are you?"~ _Kratos spat, worry beginning to grow in his heart. He had not suspected Lloyd of knowing so much at all; the possibilities of having let slip that vital piece of information that would break his cover was now suddenly much more likely. "~_Not only did you fail spectacularly at keeping him away from our journey, you have…~"_ He shook his head slightly, frustrated mostly with himself. "_Lloyd…_" Forcystus made an uncertain noise, not sure whether he was off the hook or not.

"I only told him what he deserved to know. I couldn't have kept him in the Ranch and left him totally in the dark, it wouldn't have been fair," he argued, speaking in the normal language once more. Kratos' glare didn't soften.

"~_The idea was that he was left in the dark, so he didn't do anything… Stupid,~_" he reminded him darkly. Forcystus looked at the floor, not even looking up as Colette yelped and dropped her mug of coffee.

"~_He would have done 'something stupid' anyway,~_" he disagreed. "~_He's headstrong, and sticks to his beliefs… Much like his father used to be.~_" Kratos winced at the reminder of the past.

"~_More like Anna than I,~_" he responded levelly, willing himself to remain calm, at least on the outside. "~_He will try to save the Chosen if he finds out what will happen to her. Perhaps that is for the best. However, I will have to draw my sword against him should he try…~_" Forcystus frowned in thought at that.

"~_Just as long as he doesn't find out the whole truth prior to the journey to the Tower…~" _He reasoned. _"~I presume you've planned for what will happen there?~"_ He made a slight noise.

"I've tried," he replied, in normal language once more. "But he can't learn fast enough. I can't plan for the unpredictable, either. ~_I'll have to hold back. Even that may not be enough. I need a way of being distracted to let him actually get a hit on me…~_" Forcystus sighed.

"~_We'll find something,~_" he replied, looking over at Lloyd, who had hugged Colette and now turned to look at the pair. He glanced at his hands then. _"~Perhaps I could…~"_ He frowned. "When he was in the Ranch, he used one of my feathers to ease my pain," he told him. "He knows… at least vaguely… That you can channel strong feelings through the mana in a feather."

"Positive ones, perhaps," Kratos agreed. "But no amount of willing over a single feather will inconvenience me in the slightest."

"But does he know that?" Forcystus shot back. "It doesn't even have to be him. As long as one of them knows that the principle is there… Raine, Raine would instantly see the opportunity when presented with it. They don't know it doesn't work with negative thoughts, or that the effect is only ever minimal. We can find some signal, a sign, and…"

"You want me to… Fake the pain?" Kratos asked, understanding now. Forcystus nodded.

"It works… I know I can make it work," he replied. "Just… Please, trust me once more?" Kratos laughed softly.

"My trust in you did not waver in the slightest, Forcystus, only my opinion on your level of intelligence," he responded. Forcystus looked affronted at that. "But if you can make this work… If you can keep him from being hurt… More than anything, Forcystus, I cannot let him be hurt…" He trailed off and quickly hid the look of worry that had been lurking in his eyes, putting on his emotionless face as the teen in question walked over.

"Lloyd. You should be sleeping," Kratos scolded the teen instantly, and Lloyd glared.

"Then so should you," he retorted, an argument that seemed perfectly reasonable to him. "I'm worried about Colette," he added, somewhat softer, as if afraid she would overhear. Kratos looked out in the direction of said Chosen; she was standing and looking at the stars, hopelessly.

"She seemed to be coping fine until you harassed her," Forcystus remarked, diverting attention from Kratos. Lloyd glared at him instead.

"Did you know? You had to have known!" He demanded. Forcystus sighed, looking away, as Kratos feigned confusion. "Why didn't you tell me what would happen to her?!"

"Because then you would have tried to stop her," the half-elf replied evenly, his voice low. "She wants to go on this journey, Lloyd. She _wants_ to regenerate the world. Even if it means becoming an angel… Sacrificing a little will gain a lot for the world."

"Sacrificing a little?" Lloyd repeated, angry. "How can you… How can you go on this journey knowing?! Watching her just throw away so much of herself!"

"She wants it," Forcystus replied, but Lloyd shook his head angrily.

"No-one should have to sacrifice themselves for the world. Surely there's another way?" He persisted. Kratos sighed, irritated, shaking his head slightly.

"If there was, it would have been found," he told him curtly. Lloyd's glare switched back to him.

"Maybe people haven't been looking in the right place," he muttered darkly. "Maybe we should take the question to Cruxis!" Forcystus went deathly pale.

"No, Lloyd, no," he told him hurriedly, glancing at Kratos briefly in concern. "Whatever you do, you mustn't question…"

"Why not?" Lloyd cut him off. "Remiel's not Yggdrasill!" Forcystus winced as Kratos' look turned to ice once more.

"~Y_ou missed a little off your list, it seems,~_" he muttered in Angelic, although he had already known that Lloyd knew. "Lloyd, you mustn't question an angel, especially one who has… Guided us so faithfully," he told the teen. "He is Sylvarant's only hope. Without his help we would be lost."

"We would not," Lloyd disagreed with a shake of his head. "We know where the Seals are, Forcystus told us. Haven't you seen the way he looks at Colette? He treats us all like trash – like we're _inferior_ to him." The look in his eyes was challenging them both to disagree.

"Inferior…" Forcystus repeated, a soft sigh escaping him. "Yes…"

"And weren't you the one who said we might have to fight an angel?" Lloyd continued, still angry at Kratos' instant denial of alternatives. Forcystus laughed then, making Lloyd look at him strangely.

"Fight Remiel!" He exclaimed. "That _would_ be amusing. He's a stuck-up pathetic excuse for a living being." He gave Kratos a careful look. "But be careful, Lloyd. Let the Chosen do as she wishes. If there were another way, I would tell you. But there is nothing you can do, save protect her." Lloyd glared at him.

"I'll find a way," he vowed angrily, his voice dangerous, challenging. "There _has_ to be another way, and I'll find it. I don't care how long it takes me!" Forcystus smiled slightly, and Kratos made a slight noise.

"…Do that, Lloyd," the mercenary agreed. "Often, the answers lie where you least wish to look for them. I will help you if you wish." Lloyd looked at him, confused and taken aback by the sudden offer, something unexpected and unasked for.

"…You will?" He repeated, as if saying it again would make it more true. Kratos nodded.

"Yes," he replied. "True hope and determination can change the world, sometimes." There was a saddened look in his eyes, as though he were remembering something from long ago, something that he had tried to forget.

"…Promise?" Lloyd asked weakly, still almost unable to believe it. Kratos nodded once more, a true smile on his face for the first time in a long while.

"I promise," he confirmed, and Lloyd grinned.

"Thanks!" He replied, seeming pleased by his success. "…I trust you, Kratos," he added, the exuberant attitude fading somewhat, before turning and walking over to Colette to wish her good night. Kratos watched him until he lay down by the fire, to go to sleep himself.

"~…_You'll regret that,~_" Forcystus remarked quietly to the silent mercenary as he did this.

"~…_I know. But it is true,~_" Kratos murmured. _"~No matter what the cost is to me. I will help him.~"_

Kratos did not speak again for the rest of the night.

* * *

**A/N - **Can you tell when it starts to get late? XD Anyway, as I said, if anything isn't 100-percent clear, it will be elaborated on in later chapters, promise. (Unless somepne mentions something which won't be, in which case I'll explain it before the start of the next chapter, 'cause I'm nice *shifty look*.)

Please join me in a quiet prayer for Ulquiorra *crosses fingers, touches wood, etc.* and once again, apologies for going Bleach on you if you don't watch it. I know it can be irritating, but... Yeah. Sorry *hides*.


	22. Book 3, Chapter 1: The City of Ruins

**Greetings from the abyss.** I'm going to apologise in advance for a) my lateness and b) the shortness of this chapter. My inspiration died for a short while, and when it came back, my free time laughed in my face and ran off. For the former, my reason will be known by those who read Bleach. For the latter, work ate me, and I had to help out with the house makeover/drum selling/other misc. activities my parents thought it would be wise to do in the holidays.

IT WASN'T WISE.

So yes, that's my excuses out of the way. And that's all they are... Excuses -_- I'm sorry, I fail.

Untold Despair, the title of Book 3, is indeed the theme that plays when you explore Desian Bases. Congrats to Dieuwtjin who got there first, I'll write you a oneshot if you tell me what you want... And if I know the fandom ^_^". Also well done to DarkMiss 13 for guessing it too, although you didn't win :( Never mind ^^

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing that I write fanfiction for, except the laptop I use to write it.

Likeaglintoflight: Well, that'd be telling now, wouldn't it? ^^ Heh, you'll find out when they get there. Shouldn't be long now.

Dieuwtjin: Haha, I discovered the copy+paste rather than remembering your name this time... *hides*  
Firstly... Oh, how I wish you had been right *cries* And Ganju _should_ have been killed by Byakuya, but he was a good guy. ¬¬ Of all the people to use to say that they do die in Bleach, it had to be Ulqui... *sigh*  
Back on topic. Gah gah gah, would you believe that I forgot about the Guardian? *hides* Yeah, there was a break between the start and end of that scene. Real life sucks. Um... Forcystus stabbed it ^^ There, problem solved *shifty look*  
Mmm, I'm sorry for both OOC/weird bits. I'm at fault there. I may go back and correct both these and the Guardian thing at a later date.  
About the quote, that's Forcystus saying it, sorry if it was a bit confusing... Heh, he's already in pretty deep trouble, and Kratos actually knows about Forcystus' opinion on Remiel. It's complicated.  
Long reviews are great! Very few people actually point out where I do things wrong (heh...). I appreciate the criticism.

Symphoniafan: Glad you liked it ^^ Heh, the puzzles in-game don't translate wonderfully to what it would be like in a real-life situation, so I tried to alter it. And sorry if you didn't _quite_get things, there's no development on that matter in this chapter...

Dark Miss13: Mmm, I know how you feel about life being a bit suck. It happens to me a lot. I've got work and all sorts to work around *sigh* Thanks for reviewing the last chapter, though! ^^

Game-girl209: Torn is _exactly_ the word for it. And sorry for the late(ish) update -_-

ethargh: Yes... I had :( And I'm still hopeful for an easter-esque reappearence, but I doubt it, somehow. Ah well, he died well. Thanks for the kind review ^^

* * *

**Book Three: Untold Despair**

Chapter One: The City of Ruins

The next day, the group went back to the House of Salvation, with Kratos being strangely silent for most of the journey despite several group member's attempts to talk to him. Lloyd had gone to Forcystus to complain, meaning that the half-elf had to put up with his whinging for the entire walk. Needless to say, he was somewhat irritated by the time they reached the House.

* * *

"Lloyd." The teen was dragged out of sleep by Kratos' gentle voice.

"…You talking to me now?" He asked sleepily. Kratos laughed softly.

"I understand my attitude caused you some distress. I apologise," he replied. "I was wondering if you wished to train. However, you were sleeping, so I doubt you will."

"Nah, I will," Lloyd replied, swinging himself out of the bed. "Although I don't get why you're so obsessed with training at night. Do you actually ever sleep?" He saw a flicker of troubled pain in the mercenary's eyes.

"…Of course I sleep," he replied. "I am only human." Lloyd nodded with a yawn.

"Guess so," he replied, grabbing his swords. "But, man, it's late." Kratos hid a troubled look and walked out of the House, Lloyd following fairly sleepily. Kratos seemed to realise this, though, and he didn't push Lloyd too hard, seeming to be content that Lloyd was actually willing to get up in the middle of the night to train.

* * *

Kratos stopped him suddenly, a hand over his mouth to stop his cries.

"Not a word," he whispered. "I hear something." Lloyd noticed that his grip on his sword had tightened and nodded, making Kratos release him. "…Stay here," he ordered softly. Lloyd glared.

"Let me help!" He protested softly. Kratos shook his head.

"I do not wish to put you in danger," he murmured. "Don't move. Get back inside." He moved off to the North, Lloyd watching him go out of sight, staying where he was more out of bewilderment than anything else. Why wouldn't Kratos let him help deal with whatever this problem was? Didn't he trust him? Lloyd winced inwardly. Maybe it was because of that incident with the giant plant…

There was a bight white flash in the distance, making Lloyd squint and cover his eyes.

"Kratos…?" He murmured, worried. Whatever that light had been, it couldn't have been good for the mercenary. _Maybe he'll need saving for once…_ Grabbing up his swords from where they lay stuck into the earth, Lloyd ran off in the direction of the light.

He thought he saw a flicker of blue as Kratos turned, slashing out with his sword. He was surrounded by a host of Desians, and by the looks of it was coping fairly well. There was blood on his clothes and running down his sword, but judging by the determined look on his face, none of it was his. Nevertheless, there were rather a lot of Desians for one man to take on. And where had the light come from…?

Lloyd hacked his way through to the mercenary, who saw him with a flash of worry in his rust-red eyes.

"Lloyd!" He exclaimed. "I told you to stay back!" Lloyd shook his head, hacking into a Desian with a determined look.

"I saw a flash of light," he explained. "I was worried about you… I came to help." Kratos started to protest, then, strangely, simply chuckled.

"Typical of you," he murmured softly. "Be on your guard." Lloyd covered Kratos from the back as the mercenary tore into the Desians like a whirlwind of death, moving so fast he practically blurred, followed by a trail of blood from the dead or the dying. Lloyd held his own, but he was fighting simply as he had been taught. With Kratos, it was hard to tell where he ended and his blade began.

Lloyd took a hit eventually – with the amount of Desians there it was inevitable. He didn't see it as much and kept fighting, but when Kratos realised he went to Lloyd – cutting a swath through Desians to do so – and insisted on fighting by his side. Lloyd was reluctant, but he couldn't exactly do anything to turn Kratos away, so they fought together like that.

"You're bleeding!" Lloyd realised as Kratos pulled him back from a potentially nasty slash. The red-haired swordsman was breathing hard, a nasty gash up his arm that didn't seem to have impeded him at all.

"Oh… It is nothing," Kratos brushed it off, glancing down as Lloyd said, letting the boy go. "They will retreat soon. Their morale is falling." Lloyd nodded and continued to fight, but he was confused. It was as though Kratos hadn't even realised he had been hit until Lloyd had said, but a cut that deep would have _had _to have been noticed. What was going on?

Eventually, as Kratos had said, the Desians ran. Kratos, breathing hard, grabbed Lloyd and inspected the wound he'd taken – a mild gash that was no more than a slight cut on his leg.

"Take more care," Kratos chastised as he healed it. Lloyd gave him a look.

"Hypocrite," he muttered. Kratos chuckled softly, standing up. Lloyd could see that he was weary.

"Let us head back," he murmured. "The Desians were after us… That much is certain. Why they are coming so out into the open… We are close to the Ranch, but still…"

"Forcystus said…" Lloyd started, then realised that perhaps Kratos had meant _them_, he and Lloyd. "Why would they be after you?" He asked. Kratos looked at him.

"Because I have an old score with Kvar," he responded softly. "One that is as yet unresolved, and will, in all luck, end with his death. He clearly wishes to prevent that by disposing of me in a way that will look accidental."

"Accidental?" Lloyd repeated. "Why would it be accidental? Why would it have to be?" Kratos shook his head shortly.

"It is nothing," he replied curtly, taking Lloyd's wrist and leading him back to the House. Lloyd felt slightly belittled at being led, but he _was_ very tired. He was just concerned that Kratos had forgotten to heal his wound.

He was as bad as Colette, sometimes.

* * *

The next day, the group set off for Luin. Kratos had healed the deep gash in his arm and mended his glove, but Raine had still noticed it and was quizzing him about it. Kratos was proving his skill at evading questions.

"Nothing of the nature you suspect occurred, Raine. I caught the fabric and it tore," he told her, his face level. Lloyd was silently marvelling at how easily he could lie.

"Normally I would believe that, but you simply aren't the type!" Raine protested. "What is there in a House of Salvation to catch fabric on, besides?" Kratos refused to reply to that, which frustrated Raine even more. "Kratos!"

"No-one is hurt. Do not concern yourself with me," he told her abruptly. "If anything of a dangerous nature had occurred I would tell you. I desire the safety of this group as much as you do." She gave him a careful look.

"Hmm. Of course," she replied, although she didn't sound convinced. "What were you doing last night?"

"Training Lloyd," Kratos replied frankly. "He needs it." Lloyd glared in his direction when he heard that, but Kratos didn't meet his gaze. "And he is not hurt, so you should not be concerned. I think I can handle myself well enough. I've had many years of practice." Raine sighed and gave up.

"Very well," she replied, leaving the matter for the time being. Lloyd watched Kratos as he walked, a permanent semi-troubled expression on the mercenary's face, until Forcystus put a hand in his shoulder and told him softly to leave Kratos alone.

"I wasn't doing anything," Lloyd grumbled, but Forcystus just gave him a slight smile and repeated his suggestion.

* * *

Lloyd frowned as they got closer to Luin, sniffing slightly at a strange smell in the air, one he recognised.

"I'm sure I can smell smoke," he decided, confused. Forcystus looked over in the direction of Luin, a hand over his eyes to shield the glare from the setting sun.

"The sunset on the water really makes it look like it's aflame…" He murmured. Kratos made a shocked noise and glanced up.

"No…" He whispered, aghast, one hand going to his sword automatically. "They didn't…" Forcystus frowned and looked at the town again, having to squint to see what Kratos had apparently seen easily.

"You think…" He started, looking at Kratos, who had gone white – the first time Lloyd had ever seen him truly scared, apart from that incident with the giant plant. What was going on?

"If they have, they…" Kratos started, pure loathing in his voice, the fingers of one hand wrapping around the hilt of his sword with murderous intent. Everyone else was looking confused by now, but Kratos and Forcystus had picked up the pace, leaving them with no option but to follow.

"What's wrong?" Lloyd asked Forcystus as they went. The half-elf's face was grim, mouth set into a thin line.

"Remember Kvar, Lloyd?" He asked as a reply, and that was all Lloyd needed. His eyes narrowed.

"Bastard," he spat, quite frankly. Kratos, despite having heard, didn't think it worth reprimanding Lloyd for his language. Some things you just can't fault. "He wasn't satisfied with murdering my mom, so he has to burn her village, too?" Forcystus caught the haunted look in Kratos' eyes and bit his lip.

"Lloyd…" He started, attempting to placate him, but his blood was up now, he was _angry_.

"What next? Will he hunt me down like an animal the way he did my mom? I won't let him! I'll kill him before I let him defile my family any further!" He exclaimed angrily. Raine and Genis exchanged concerned looks, and Kratos' hand on the hilt of his sword was shaking slightly.

"Lloyd…" Forcystus tried again, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice now.

"I don't care what it takes, I'll stop him," Lloyd growled. "And… And I'll find my dad, and I'll tell him I avenged mom. I'll tell him that it's alright. Once that _bastard _Kvar is dead…" Kratos had had to look away at that.

"Lloyd!" Forcystus snapped, resisting the urge to smack him across the face like his Grand Cardinal's instincts told him to, jerking the teen out of his plan-making. "…Please. Calm down," he continued, his tone gentler again. "Going chasing after Kvar would be foolish, and likely a suicide mission with the number of Desians at his Ranch! Don't let your anger drive you to foolery!" Lloyd looked at him – his expression was a strange mixture of worry and resignation - and took a couple of deep breaths.

"…Right," he agreed, the initial surge of anger abating. "…Right." Kratos slowly let go of the hilt of his sword, indents in his fingers from where he had gripped the hilt too tightly.

…_My son…_

* * *

"Holy Martel!" Lloyd exclaimed when they entered the town. The smoke was so thick that it choked the air around them, and there were corpses lying at bad angles over one of the bridges. Lloyd had to repress flashbacks of the blood-red sky of Iselia, the cloying smell of smoke, the cries of terror… Although the destruction here was on a far grander scale, and much more macabre. This time, the red ground was not just an effect of the fire. It had been stained with blood.

"There are cries from the far side of town," Kratos murmured just as Colette was about to say the same, looking around with his usual stoic expression fixed on his face, despite the turmoil he felt inside. "Hurry!" He insisted. Lloyd drew his swords and ran with Kratos to the fountain, although the number of Desians they encountered were few now. Their work had been done.

The fountain's normally clear water was running across the path, tinted red from the blood of those the Desians had slaughtered, and Lloyd's eyes widened when he saw Sheena fighting off a crowd of Desians.

"Sheena!" he cried, concerned, a sick feeling building in his stomach as he thought about what must have happened to the children she had been playing with the last time he saw her here. She tried to say something, but blacked out before she could manage, and Lloyd flew into the Desians attacking her in a rage, moving like a blur, his Exsphere giving off an eerie blue glow in the twilight as he took out all his anger on the surrounding Desians. Forcystus watched with an impressed look on his face, and Kratos joined him, his blade biting into the Desians around him, and soon all of the little group that had been after Sheena lay dead at their feet. Lloyd knelt by Sheena, shaking her worriedly.

"Sheena? Sheena, come on, wake up," he begged. Kratos knelt by him, and Raine rolled her eyes.

"She's an enemy. Kill her now, whilst she's down!" She insisted. Lloyd shook her again, not having heard Raine's words.

"Professor, please, you have to heal her," he begged. "She's so badly wounded!"

"Her wounds are fairly serious," Kratos agreed. "To leave her would mean her death." He stood up.

"This is horrible…" Lloyd murmured. Raine shook her head.

"It could simply be an act to deceive us," she responded. Lloyd shook his head vehemently, and Sheena's eyes opened slightly.

"Professor, please!" He begged. Kratos folded his arms and bowed his head, leaving the decision up to her, and she sighed and walked up, kneeling by Sheena.

"Very well," she murmured, holding her staff over the wounded ninja. Light glowed around her, and her wounds closed up, leaving nothing but dried blood on her skin where they had been. She blinked in surprise, and Lloyd helped her to lean against what part of the fountain wall was still intact. Her summon ran up to her and ran up her arm worriedly, where she idly stroked his head.

"…Why?" She asked, confused, noting the look of worry in Lloyd's eyes.

"…I saw you with the kids, before," he murmured. "You're not our enemy. Not truly. Not in this." Sheena nodded tiredly.

"…The Desians did this," she murmured. "There was no reason, no warning, no sign… They burned the village to the ground, and they took everyone, every man, woman, and child… Those that resisted were killed." She shook her head angrily. "And I couldn't… Do a thing!" She weakly hit the ground with her fist.

"Sometimes, there is not a thing you can do," Kratos murmured softly. "But watch your world fall apart." Lloyd gave him a funny look.

"Do you really think we'll believe that?" Raine responded. Forcystus raised his eyebrows. "That someone who has tried to assassinate this world's only hope of salvation would try to save its citizens?" Sheena looked up at her wearily as Lloyd started to protest.

"Then why did you heal me?" She responded. Raine sighed.

"Ask Lloyd," she responded, walking away in irritation. Kratos put a hand on Lloyd's shoulder to stop him protesting at Raine's words.

"We should search the village for survivors," he murmured. "They will be in need of treatment, too. Raine?" Raine nodded.

"Find a house that hasn't been too badly damaged. We'll move Sheena there, and anyone else that we find…" Forcystus had already headed off.

"The shop's not too badly damaged!" He called back. "No sign of the owners… Which could be good rather than bad, since it means they're likely at the Ranch and saveable rather than dead…" Genis glared in his direction.

"This is what you did to Iselia!" He yelled out suddenly. "How can you stand there and act like it's such an atrocity when you did it yourself?!" Lloyd looked at Genis in shock, and Forcystus looked away.

"…I didn't mean for Iselia to burn…" He murmured.

"But it did! People died, _Desian_!" Genis spat. "And here you're trying to make Kvar the villain! You're just as much of one yourself!" Forcystus bit his lip.

"This isn't the same…" He started, but Genis shook his head, making an angry motion with one hand.

"It's exactly the same!" He replied. "You attacked Iselia to get Lloyd, Kvar attacked this village to take people to his Ranch! What's the difference? You Desian _scum_, you're all the same!" Forcystus walked back over quietly, Kratos watching him carefully all the way.

"I won't deny that people died," he murmured, walking up to the water's edge and looking out over the blood-tinted lake. "And I won't deny that I caused a lot of damage that cannot be repaired." He looked at his hands. "These hands are stained with human blood." He clenched his fists and shook his head. "But I did what I could! I never meant for any lives to be lost that day. Kvar intended all of this, and most likely more. I won't deny that I have done evil, that would be foolery." He looked out in the direction of the Asgard Ranch. "But Kvar is evil itself. No good comes from punishing me when Kvar is at fault, and remains unpunished for far more sins than I have ever committed." Genis glared at him, and he turned to look at the young magician. "So hate me!" He told him. "Hate me all you will, I deserve it! I was a Desian, I will always have been a Desian, and the deaths that I caused will not go away. I will be forever haunted by the blood I have spilled. But know this – I regret it. I regret it more than I have ever regretted anything else, even simply watching as my parents were slaughtered, slaughtered by a human, too!" Behind Lloyd, Kratos winced slightly. "Nothing I did was for revenge. Every life is precious, whether human, elf or even half-elf. So many more would have died had I not been in charge. Think not of the deaths I have caused… In some ways they were inevitable. Think instead of the deaths I have prevented… And that I am haunted by those I could not." He started walking back over to the house. "I'll check this quarter." Raine, with a sigh, helped Sheena to her feet and led her to the undamaged shop, Genis rushing after her. Uncertainly, Colette went over to the destroyed bridge and flew over it to inspect the other side. Lloyd looked at Kratos.

"You made a promise," he whispered. Kratos nodded.

"…I will keep it," he murmured softly. "Come." Lloyd nodded, and he and Kratos silently left the ruined city.

* * *

**A/N - **Next chapter is the one I think a lot of you have been waiting for - storming Kvar's Ranch ^^

As a side note - STUPID DESTROYS MY BREAKS. It gets on my nerves something serious having to put them all back in. Seriously. Urgh

Review please, I love them, and you ^^


	23. An apology from the author

**Important Notice**

(I'm aware that submitting only an Author's Note is technically against site rules, but this will be replaced by the next chapter when I post it up, so please don't report me or anything)

There won't be another chapter of Symphony for a couple of weeks. I'm really really sorry, but a lot of stuff has been happening in my life and if I _did_ try to get a chapter up every week, they would be really _terrible_ chapters. And this next chapter, in particular, I do not want to botch. Please understand.

I shall attempt to get the next chapter up within the month. You have permission to lynch me, or keelhaul me, or whatever archaic punishment you think is fitting, if I don't ^^

*…hides*

I shall answer the last chapter's reviews now so I don't forget…

Just so you know, I _am_ writing, but all I have right now is a basic chapter framework and the first couple of paragraphs. I've had to change quite a bit, since stories don't always go to plan when you write them (they run away with me…) and I've had to alter events. If you want to blame anyone for that… I would blame Kratos, since it's his fault. (I don't write the story, you know. It simply uses me as a medium to get itself written, and doesn't take into account VERY IMPORTANT upcoming exams, another truckload of coursework, work eating my life, etc.)

I will try and make the next chapter of better quality than the last one to make up for the wait ^_^"

frostbit: Heheh, sorry about making you wait -_-

Symphoniafan: Oh, it is. Something very large that spits in the face of the game's plot, up to a point ^^  
Desians burn! Heheh, well, Kvar is not above disobeying his superiors if it gets him what he wants.  
He does, doesn't he? Poor Lloydie would feel awful if he knew, too :(  
Genis' rant was the cumulation of all the pent-up frustration and suspicion he's been feeling since Forcystus joined. And would _you_ get in the way of an angry Genis? Besides, Forcy had it covered.  
…plus Genis did kind of have a good point.  
Sorry for making you wait. Time is in short supply…

Skedaddle-san: ARGH SPAGHETTI! There should be a lot of death and destruction when it comes, yesyes.

LikeAGlintOfLight: That point _will _be addressed, and soon. I promise this. Lloyd is not, contrary to popular belief, totally stupid.  
Actually, I believe Raine says something of the sort in the OVA. According to the sub I watched, at least. Check it out on YouTube, it's episode 3.  
Yes, they are, they are, which is part of the reason why I've had to put the update off for a couple of weeks. To be perfectly honest, I've not been satisfied with the past couple of chapters either. (And I'm aware that it's constructive criticism and I appreciate it. I'm not going to blow my top and rant if someone says my story sucks XD I shall take advice as advice.) Part of the reason for my break is that I will ACTUALLY DIE if I try to do everything I've got to do and write Symphony. As much as I love Symphony (it's my baby…) getting into University must unfortunately take priority… -_-


	24. Chapter two: Deceit

**I'm not dead! **-cue excited cheers- Although that may not last, if my illness has its way (Swine flu :O joke, joke...). Yes, you heard right. I'm sick again. -sighs-

Right right, this and what will be the next chapter were orignially just going to be one chapter, but when I wrote it out I realised it was getting, well... Rather long. So I have decided to split it up into two. So on the plus side: More chapter for your (non-existant) money. On the bad side... You'll have to wait a while for Kvar to get his just desserts.

I'm not promising that the next chapter will be up next week. I'm in the last fortnight of school now (ends 22nd of May) so if things get hectic I may have to postpone it by a week. But I will try! I promise! I feel kinda bad for making you all wait so long for this chapter as it is...

**Big thanks to freakyanimegal**, even if most of her email consisted of fangirl squealing XD I did cut out that bit you suggested... You have a good point. It will slot itself in later ^^

I've decided to leave in the apology with the review responses, because I am so lazy/pushed for time (I've got to go to work in... An hour as of writing and I haven't had anything to eat yet), so I shall provide some happy lyrics (tm) instead.

_There are no flowers, no, not this time. There'll be no angels gracing the lines, just these stark words I find.  
I'd show a smile, but I'm too weak. I'd share with you, could I only speak, just how much this hurts me.  
_~AFI, This Time Imperfect.

...Well, you didn't expect them to _actually _be happy lyrics, did you?

Also, a big thank you and a hug to everyone who has favourited/story alerted Symphony. There's... Rather a lot of you, so I guess a list would be impractical, but I really appreciate your support. Thank you 3.

**Disclaimer**: Tales of Symphonia is not mine. It (unfortunately) never will be. No Renegades were harmed in the making of this summary.

"This is normal speech." _This is thoughts._ "~_This is Angelic language.~_"

* * *

Chapter two: Deceit

Lloyd watched Kratos as they walked, thinking hard to try and take his mind off the fact that he was betraying Forcystus.

So much about him made no sense to Lloyd. His reasons, his motivation… He was with them for the money, because it was his job, but still… He frowned slightly. That said, he had arrived at a very convenient time. 'I was in the area and heard the screams' was as good an excuse as any, but why go up to Iselia looking for work anyway? The small village was the only place for miles around on the peninsula, and the likelihood of someone there wanting work was very low indeed. Unless you knew what was going on.

He spoke angelic, too; Lloyd had overheard him having conversations with Forcystus in it. Whilst that was not in itself a cause for suspicion – Raine could read angelic as well as any, and Colette had been obliged to learn – he was more fluent than Forcystus by the looks of things, and Forcystus had connections to Cruxis. Not to mention that the language hadn't been heard spoken in Sylvarant for years.

He knew Forcystus, or at least he seemed to. He had kept none of the suspicion that the rest of the group still felt towards the half-elf, he seemed to know him better than Lloyd did. In fact, Forcystus seemed to almost be scared of him, or at least quietly respectful. Lloyd had never known Forcystus to be scared of anyone, except perhaps Yggdrasill…

Yggdrasill was an angel, an angel of Cruxis. Lloyd wondered if he didn't eat, if he no longer felt heat, cold, pain, the touch of another…

The previous night, Kratos hadn't felt the pain of the wound he'd taken. Often he would only look around when his name was called, rather than at a touch designed to get his attention. He knew that the weak point of an angel was the wings – Lloyd had thought nothing of his reasons at the time, but had he even known that Forcystus was an angel, then? He frowned, trying to remember when Forcystus had shown him his wings, and decided that he probably might have done, but even so – why would Forcystus talk to Kratos about something he hadn't even told Lloyd? And why would Kratos even think it necessary for him to fight an angel? True, he had promised to help them, and Kratos always seemed to keep his promises…

Tentatively, Lloyd reached out and prodded Kratos in the arm. The mercenary didn't react, just kept walking. Lloyd's frown deepened.

_He said he only knew Remiel and Forcystus, but he got so worked up when I talked about fighting Yggdrasill…_ He thought absently. _If he was against us he would have let the Giant Plant eat me and said he couldn't save me – if he hadn't had a panacea I would probably have died of the poison anyway… But he always adds qualifiers to his promises…_ He prodded him again, still with no reaction. That brought to mind their time in Asgard – Kratos had agreed with Lloyd when he had said the rain was cold, but it had been warm that night.

He did not feel anything.

A strange, sick feeling started to build inside Lloyd, but he forced it down. Kratos was on their side. He had promised him that much, even if he always added extra on the end… He was on their side, even if it might appear otherwise.

Once this was over, he would find out the truth.

* * *

"Lloyd?" Raine called. "Lloyd!" She sighed and shook her head, walking back over to the rest of the group. "It's no good," she told them.

"What's up?" Forcystus asked, from where he was knelt by Sheena, casting Healing Wind on the ninja.

"It's Lloyd," she replied. "He's gone missing." Forcystus' eyes widened, and he glanced around and swore eloquently.

"Language," Raine reprimanded, covering Genis' ears.

"Lying little toerag," Forcystus muttered, standing up. "He _promised _me he wouldn't go to the Ranch!"

"He's _what_?" Raine demanded, letting go of a highly unamused Genis. Forcystus cast his eyes around again.

"…I don't believe it," he murmured. "I can't believe he'd do something so reckless, so _stupid_…" He ran a hand down his face, shaking his head slightly. "…Kratos. Where's Kratos?" Raine paused, thinking.

"…I haven't seen him either…" She realised. "You think they… No, Kratos would never do something so uncharacteristic…"

"Where Kvar is involved, I wouldn't put it past him," Forcystus muttered. "Urgh, the fools. Stupidity runs in the blood…" He shook his head. "We have to go after them. No matter how angry they are, they're no match for a Ranch full of angry Desians… Two humans would stand no chance."

"So why will we make a difference?" Genis pointed out wryly. Forcystus smiled slightly.

"Because _we_ have the Chosen," he responded. "And Kvar won't touch her if he knows what's good for him." He looked back at Raine. "Well?" She nodded.

"As much as I don't want to believe they'd do something so rash… We have no other choice," she agreed. "We shall storm the Ranch." Sheena stood up.

"I'm coming, too," she told them determinedly. "You guys… Lloyd… Saved me. I owe you. So I'll help out." Raine looked dubious, but Forcystus nodded.

"The more the merrier," he agreed. "If we run, we might be able to catch up with them before they get to the Ranch. Without knowing how long they've been gone, though…"

"Well then, the less time we waste talking, the better," Raine decided primly. "Let's get going. Colette! We're leaving!" The young Chosen ran over.

"What's going on?" She asked, confused.

"We'll brief you on the way there," Forcystus promised. "I'll take the lead, I know the way."

They walked out of Luin.

* * *

The journey to the Ranch was worryingly short. Kratos had a determined look on his face that Lloyd suspected was probably mirrored in his, and he was walking at a swift pace without stopping. The Ranch loomed on this horizon and was hard to miss, but Kratos seemed to know the way even without the reference point.

They paused in the forest on the edge of the Ranch, Lloyd looking up at the imposing towers on each corner. They made good surveillance posts, Forcystus' Ranch had sported similar towers… Lloyd found himself wishing he had something to take out cameras at long range with.

"So, how are we getting in?" He asked Kratos, tugging on his sleeve to try and get his attention before remembering that – if he was right – that wouldn't work. "Are we gonna storm it?"

"Did we storm Magnius' Ranch?" Kratos asked him pointedly. Lloyd bit his lip and frowned thoughtfully.

"Well, that was different," he decided eventually. "Is there gonna be a side entrance here?"

"There could be," Kratos responded. "A supply tunnel, a late-entrance gate, an emergency exit… There are many options."

"Emergency exit?" Lloyd repeated. "What's wrong with the main doors?" Kratos chuckled.

"If you have a fire, or some other equally catastrophic electricity failure, what use are giant front doors that you cannot open?" Kratos reasoned. "There will be something manual in case of just such an emergency, don't you think?" Lloyd nodded slowly.

"I guess so…" He agreed. "Never thought about that… Guess the gates must be wired up… I wonder if Forcystus' Ranch has a side entrance? I never got to see those very often." Kratos smiled slightly.

"I should imagine not," he responded. "It is not normal to take prisoners up to the gates, except to put them _in_ the Ranch." Lloyd grimaced.

"You're telling me," he muttered. "So, we're looking for a side entrance?" Kratos nodded.

"Most probably concealed," he agreed, and the pair crept around to the side of the Ranch, both of them wary for security.

* * *

"…Hm," Kratos murmured when they came across a large, solid-looking boulder. "Troublesome."

"Is it blocking the door?" Lloyd asked, clambering on top of it. "Aw, that's just a ventilation shaft! Won't there be a door elsewhere?" Kratos looked thoughtful.

"…Possible…" He agreed. "But I would rather take this way in if possible… Come down from there." Lloyd slid off the boulder, and Kratos braced his shoulders against the boulder and tried to push, to no avail. Not for want of trying, however – Kratos was panting by the time he gave up. "…Irksome," he decided, kicking the boulder in a highly uncharacteristic show of irritation. Lloyd tried to push it, but gave up almost instantly.

"Geez, what did they do, bolt it to the floor?" He complained. Kratos ran a hand over it, examining it.

"…It's possible it's connected to some sort of mechanism…" He mused, before sighing and shaking his head. "At any rate, we can't get in this way."

"Could we climb in over the wall?" Lloyd suggested. "I reckon we could make it from here." Kratos glanced up at the wall.

"Tantamount to suicide," he disagreed. "They have cameras covering all the walls in case of escapees. It would be easier to go in through the front than over the wall."

"How come?" Lloyd protested. "They're covering the door, too!"

"If you go over the wall, you present an easy target for spells, for a long time," Kratos informed him wryly, before frowning. "Quickly, behind the trees." He pulled Lloyd into the woods, Lloyd once more thanking conveniently-placed hiding place objects. Always there for him.

A Sergeant and an unranked spearwoman walked past, talking in bored voices.

"The Patrol," Kratos told Lloyd. "There will be more of them. We will have to be careful." Lloyd watched them thoughtfully.

"…Perhaps we _could_ get in through the front door," he remarked. "Why don't we steal uniforms?" Kratos shook his head.

"Half-elves can…" He started, then trailed off. "Actually…" He paused, thinking. "…Tell me. Do you know the name of the Desian who had you held at the Iselia Ranch?" He asked. Lloyd put one hand on his chin, thinking hard.

"Lord For- Uh, Forcystus mentioned it a few times," he remarked. "Sorry… I'm in Ranch mode again…" He added, somewhat sheepishly. Kratos raised an eyebrow. "Oh, well, you see, the Desians always got really snappy when I forgot Forcystus' title, so I just ended up tagging it on automatically around them," he explained. "Seeing those Desians, being basically in a Ranch and questions about Forcystus… it adds up." He shrugged. "I think it was Aurion. Lord Aurion," he added. "But he wasn't a Desian, I don't think. Forcystus said he was higher up. Maybe Cru…" He trailed off and bit his lip. "…Higher up," he finished lamely. Kratos' eyes had narrowed somewhat dangerously.

"…I see," he replied eventually, his voice cold, like ice. "…Very well, then. I have a suggestion."

"…yeah?" Lloyd asked, somewhat sheepish now.

"Kvar saw you when you were at Forcystus' Ranch, did he not?" Kratos asked. Lloyd nodded.

"Forcystus said that he'd want me for this-" he held up the hand with the Exsphere on – "if he knew who I was, so he… Oh, he gave me this." He rummaged in his pocket and brought out the weird device Forcystus had put on his arm, all those weeks ago.

"A masker?" Kratos remarked, sounding surprised. "Where did he get one of those?" Lloyd shrugged lamely. "…I see…" He murmured. "This could be useful. Put it on." Lloyd stuck it onto his arm, grimacing at the prickling sensation. The Key Crest instantly disappeared. Kratos' eyes widened, and he took Lloyd's hand, running a finger across his skin. "…Clever," he remarked. "Very clever… He must have modified it himself… How very like him." He chuckled softly. "That is a very useful thing to have. Keep a close eye on it," he cautioned. "It may make our task all the easier. Did you have a number?"

"All Ranch prisoners must have a number," Lloyd replied. "That's rule number 31." Kratos sighed softly.

"That's interesting, but what was _yours_?" He pressed.

"L025," Lloyd replied. "Forcystus didn't use it much. He always called me by name."

"Probably because you deserved it," Kratos responded, glancing down the pathway. "Listen. The next pair of guards that walk this way, we are going to jump and steal their uniforms. Hopefully one of them will fit me… I will pose as this Lord Aurion who held you captive and pretend to take you to Kvar. They will take us straight to him, or, failing that, at least we will get through the door without trouble." Lloyd shook his head.

"He was higher up… And a half-elf," he pointed out.

"Do you know for certain he was a half-elf?" Kratos disagreed. "Or even that it was, in fact, a he? Not all those within the Desian organisation are male half-elves, you know." Lloyd sighed.

"Yeah…" He agreed. "Although how humans can betray their own kind like that…"

"Humankind can be unkind to many," Kratos responded softly. "Their own and others. It is human nature to look for weaknesses in others to hide your own. Sometimes, it can hurt people enough that they will turn against their race, their friends, their family, even their whole world." Lloyd opened his mouth to disagree, then closed it again, thinking.

"…That's giving up," he replied eventually. "The only way to win against things like that is to keep on fighting. Even if it seems like there's no hope, there's always a way, right?" He looked up at Kratos, who closed his eyes.

"…You may well be right," he agreed softly. "But not everyone is so strong." He glanced down the path at the Desians heading their way. "…I shall go as I am. It is the only way. But we may well end up fighting our way out of this." Lloyd nodded, determination shining in his eyes. "Give me your swords. A prisoner would not be expected to keep their weapon. Should trouble arise, I shall give them back." Lloyd unstrapped his swords, pausing only to let the patrol pass them by, and handed them to Kratos, who slung them over his shoulder.

"Let's do this," Lloyd told him. "I'm not leaving this Ranch until Kvar is dead… Or I am."

"I will not allow the latter to happen," Kratos told him, somewhat fiercely. "Now. Be meek. You are my prisoner." Lloyd let himself slip back into Ranch mode, best-behaviour mode, into being the little inferior that stayed silent no matter what they did to him. Kratos looked away at the sudden transformation. _I have done this to you… It is my fault that you are like this… My son… Forgive me._ "Come."

"As you wish, Lord Aurion," Lloyd responded obediently, making Kratos wince.

The things revenge would make them do.

* * *

The Guards at the door snapped to attention as Kratos approached, spears instantly in hand.

"State your business," one of them snapped.

"Or join the work line, inferior," the other one added snidely. Kratos fixed the latter with a look so akin to the derogatory distaste Lloyd had seen on Yggdrasill's face that it made him recoil.

"How dare you speak to me like that?" He demanded. "You mean to say you do not know my face?" The guard seemed to double take. "I am Lord Aurion. Stand aside and open this gate, else it shall not be _my_ wrath you feel – although you may wish it were."

"Y-yes, my Lord! Forgive me!" The guard stammered, rushing to activate the mechanism.

"Forgive him, my Lord, he did not recognise you," the other added with a low bow. "We shall alert the Ranch to your presence. The mistake shall not be repeated. Do you wish to speak with Lord Kvar?"

"That is my intention," Kratos agreed with a nod. "I am not in the mood to be held up, either. I will not suffer fools lightly." He gave the second guard a long look at this, making him pale.

"O-of course, my Lord," the first reassured hurriedly. "We shall make sure the way is clear for you…"

"Good," Kratos snapped. "L025, come."

"Yes, Lord Aurion," Lloyd murmured softly, and they walked through the gates.

"As if he brought another one of those inferior rats with him," the second muttered as they went. "Lord Kvar will have that one, no questions asked…"

* * *

They passed a number of Desian guards, who all saluted Kratos as he passed. Kratos ignored every single one of them.

"Welcome back, Lord Aurion," a Sorcerer at the door greeted. "Lord Kvar… May not be too pleased at your appearance," he added, somewhat softer. "There's been something of a situation over at Iselia. They say Lord Forcystus has deserted."

"Imagine," Kratos responded drily, and the sorcerer swallowed slightly.

"Well, yes… that, and the recent Renegade raids, coupled with… Uh… The _incident_ from eighteen years ago… He may not appreciate a visitor from Cruxis right now."

"Well, he has one," Kratos responded coldly. "I do not intend to leave."

"I was not suggesting you do!" The Sorcerer responded hurriedly, hands up in a placating gesture. "Just… Be aware that he will be in a foul mood."

"On the contrary," Kratos muttered. "He may well be very pleased to see me. Move." The Sorcerer instantly did so, and Kratos swept past him and into the Ranch, Lloyd following quickly.

"I can't _believe_ that worked," he whispered once they'd shut the door. "No _way_ they believed that." He fixed Kratos with a look. "And there's certainly no way they would _recognise _you."

"…Cruxis," Kratos murmured. "It always comes back to Cruxis…" Lloyd grabbed his arm.

"Tell me-" He started, but Kratos batted his hand away.

"Do not think we are out of the danger zone yet," he chastised. "Until we reach Kvar, you must keep up the act, do you understand me?" Lloyd instantly fell back into his good behaviour posture, eyes turned down, mouth shut.

They walked down the corridor for a fair way until they came up against a rather unexpected blockage.

"You!" Botta exclaimed, stopping the two Desians with him. "What are _you _doing here? Are you mad?!" Kratos sighed.

"Quite possibly," he agreed softly. Lloyd frowned, confused.

"You know each other?" He asked. "Aren't they… Aren't they Renegades? Forcystus said-"

"I am aware of what Forcystus said," Kratos snapped, his nerves clearly pushed to the limit. "We ran into them at Iselia. That is as far as it goes."

"Two humans alone in a Ranch…" Botta muttered. "You are a fool, Kratos."

"So is your leader," Kratos shot back. "Send him my regards. We have not spoken for too long." Botta paled slightly.

"…I'm sure… He'll appreciate your thoughts…" He murmured, swallowing slightly. "Good luck. It's a good thing we were already leaving."

"Stealing Exspheres?" Lloyd asked mischievously. Botta nodded.

"That's most of what we do," he agreed. "Please try to refrain from destroying too much of the building before we leave."

"I make no promises," Kratos responded, his voice carrying a deadly serious tone. Botta nodded slowly.

"…Let's go," he told the two with him. Lloyd presumed they must be Renegades, if they were with Botta, but it was truly impossible to tell them apart. Kratos watched them leave carefully, then eyed the door at the end of the corridor. The label by the side of it read 'Processing plant', and the words alone made Lloyd shiver in revulsion.

"Just a little more of this foolery," Kratos muttered, pressing the button to open the door.

* * *

The would-be rescuers ran up to the Ranch, and Forcystus swore rather prolifically.

"Idiot," he fumed. "That total _fool_. I can't believe he would do something so Kharlan-damned _stupid_! With Lloyd at stake, too!"

"Too late," Raine murmured, somewhat sadly, but Forcystus shook his head.

"Not by a long shot," he disagreed. "We can get into the Ranch. There should be a back way in."

He took them around to the ventilation shaft, which was still blocked by the giant boulder. Forcystus swore again.

"Forcystus, please," Raine cautioned. "You are teaching the children bad language!" Colette looked blank.

"I don't think I've ever heard that word before," she remarked. "What does it mean?" Forcystus smiled wanly.

"Nothing you should know at your age," he responded. "I'd switch to Angelic insults – ha, the irony – but you'd understand those, too, most likely… Ah, but no, you learned by rote from books. Excellent." He kicked the boulder. "We need another way in."

"Desians coming!" Colette cautioned suddenly, her angelically-enhanced hearing helping her out in that respect, and the five of them hid in the trees, unaware of how similar their actions were to those of Kratos and Lloyd.

"…That's an option," Raine remarked. "Knock out the guards, steal their uniforms, and take the others prisoner." She looked at Forcystus. "Would they recognise you in a helmet?" He grimaced.

"I'm warning you now, those things smell foul," he cautioned. "And they steam up something awful. But no, they won't recognise me. You're hard pushed to recognise the people you work with, never mind those you don't. But would taking Genis prisoner really hold water?"

"I wouldn't put it past them," she remarked, before seeming to realise what she'd said as Forcystus frowned. "Well, wouldn't you know?" She challenged.

"He should?" Sheena asked, understandably oblivious to Forcystus' connections to Desian authority.

"I should," Forcystus agreed bitterly. "And as much as I hate it, it does happen sometimes. Ah, well. We must just hope for the best." Colette hushed them.

"Guards coming," she told them. Forcystus drew his sword.

"Then we may as well take these ones," he remarked. Raine nodded in agreement and got her staff out.

"W-wait, weren't we only going to" Sheena started as they two leapt out. Raine's staff connected with the back of a spearwoman's head, and Forcystus hit the sergeant in the back with the pommel of his sword and clapped his hands to his temples. He was out like a light in an instant.

They dragged the two unconscious Desians behind their handy trees and proceeded to strip them, Sheena shielding Colette's eyes helpfully. Colette was, understandably, rather irritated by that.

"Gah, I'd forgotten just how much I hated this uniform," Forcystus complained irritably, brushing off the sleeves. "And I've been demoted, too."

"That was a given," Raine reminded him.

"I don't like it," Genis decided. "You just look _wrong_ in that uniform, sis."

"Is it designed to show as much skin as possible?" Sheena asked dubiously. Forcystus rolled his eyes.

"None of them wear it properly," he responded. "There's actually an undershirt that covers this gap here, and that one there." He indicated them with vague hand waves, and Raine slapped his hand away. "But not only is the uniform stifling enough as it is, most of them are going out of their way to impress their senior officers. And many of the Desian NCOs think with their sex drives rather than their heads." He shook his head in despair. "Once you get higher up the chain, to the likes of the Commanders and the Generals, and… Usually… The Grand Cardinals, the second factor doesn't feature as much."

"Did _you_ ever promote anyone based on lack of undershirt?" Raine asked, sounding amused. Forcystus glared.

"Of course I didn't," he snapped. "I promoted people based on merit." He slammed the helmet's visor down irritably. "Let's go."

"Touchy, aren't we?" Genis remarked snidely. Forcystus aimed a glare at him through the visor.

"…Was he a Grand Cardinal?" Sheena murmured softly. "…Heavy…"

* * *

They had just got past the gate when the far side of the Ranch exploded violently. Forcystus stopped mid-swear and switched to Angelic.

"That looks like that backfire sequence I…" He muttered. "…No. Lloyd would never have…" He shook his head slowly in despair. "…Ridiculous. Ridiculous." He drew his sword. "They're in trouble."

"Then we need to move," Raine agreed. "Do we drop the act?" Forcystus glanced at them, hesitating.

"…Find the Prisoners," he told them. "…I'll go after those two."

"That's insane!" Raine disagreed, shaking her head violently.

"You _will _be killed," Genis agreed wryly. Forcystus shook his head, pulling the helmet off irritably.

"You underestimate me," he disagreed. "Kvar and I are well-matched. _Get to the prisoners_. If you don't, they may well end up going up with the Ranch." The others paled.

"…Ok," Raine agreed, although she didn't sound happy about it. "Bring those two back alive, you hear me? We meet in front of the gate."

"Most likely at running speed," Forcystus agreed. "And… I will." He turned. "Go in that door over there, take the second right, then a left. That will lead you to a Ranch map. It will tell you how to work the Ranch mechanism. After that, you're on your own."

"Thank you… Good luck," Raine told him.

"Kharlan be with you," Forcystus responded, running at full speed towards the main building of the Ranch.

* * *

Lloyd clenched his fists as they entered the Plant.

"I hate these places," he growled. "I hate them. I _hate_ them." Kratos gave him a cautionary glance. "…Would it be wrong to introduce a virus to their processing system?" Lloyd asked in a quiet whisper.

"…Go ahead," Kratos allowed. Lloyd grinned, producing the disc he had 'borrowed' and altered somewhat from Magnius' Ranch, and shoved it into the nearest available computing system. "What does it do?" Kratos asked. Lloyd shrugged.

"Search me," he responded. "I copied it from Forcystus, though, so I guess it blows stuff up." Kratos sighed wearily, then looked up sharply just as a sound that was all-too-familiar to Lloyd echoed through a now-silent room.

_Clack. Clack. Clack._

It seemed Kvar was coming to _them_.

"Well, well. Kratos!" He observed, a sadistic kind of smile on his face. All work in the room had completely ceased now. "I must say, whatever techniques you employed to get past my guard must have been good to get _him_ through, too." Lloyd glared at him.

"You Desian bastard," he spat. Kratos didn't even bother trying to caution him. "You killed my mom!" Kvar walked right up to them, without guards, his staff still clacking on the floor as he went. _Clack. Clack. Clack._ Kratos wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his sword.

"Now, now, don't blame me for that," Kvar told Lloyd with a chuckle. "Your father killed your mother." He looked straight at Kratos when he said that, but Lloyd didn't even register it, as angry as he was. "It was only a fitting punishment for their crimes. They stole that Exsphere from me, an Exsphere that took years to develop!" He hit his staff on the floor. "I must say, the level of deception that Forcystus went to certainly was masterful to hide my own Exsphere from me, but now I know the truth, I want it back. And I will quite happily take you, too." Lloyd's hands flew to the hilts of his swords.

"Over my dead body," he hissed in unison with Kratos, turning slightly in surprise at the older swordsman speaking. Kvar simply laughed.

"And is it truly without a Key Crest?" He added, glancing down at Lloyd's gloved hand. "A truly stupid move on your part… But helpful for me. Whilst I am fairly certain it has already reached completion, I am sure more sustenance won't hurt it." Lloyd growled animalistically, making to move forwards, hands on his sword, but Kratos grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Not yet," he murmured in his ear. "Wait. We will strike together." Lloyd nodded, and Kvar only laughed again.

"Oh, you do amuse me, Kratos!" He remarked. "You waltz in here, presuming I won't have put in place defensive measures, and make idle, empty threats? It's such a shame… _Lord Aurion_… That I will likely get into trouble with Lord Yggdrasill if you die. So perhaps we shall settle for killing your spirit? How would you like to watch the life drain from Lloyd's eyes, hmm? See him slowly die, in your arms, perhaps… And do nothing, the way you did nothing for your wife?" Lloyd started. Kratos _had _lost someone to Kvar… Lost far more than Lloyd had first thought. But why hide it? If that was how he was connected to the Desians, why not own up?

Was he not strong enough for that?

"Do not speak ill of the dead," Kratos growled, drawing his sword. Kvar laughed.

"Just like your father did, Lloyd," Kvar continued, calling three robotic things around his head, with crystals embedded in the centre of them. "Once her Key-Crestless Exsphere was removed, she turned into a monster… And your father cut her down. Pathetic, don't you think?" Kratos' hand was white; he was gripping the sword so hard.

"Don't you ever talk about my parents like that!!" Lloyd yelled, lunging at Kvar just as the virus finally kicked in and made the closest processing machine explode. The resulting smoke and smog caused Kratos to choke, as well as several of the Desians, and the other three machines followed in quick succession. Lloyd lashed out blindly, enraged and determined despite the smoke, but Kvar was able to easily dodge every blow.

"How pathetic," he mocked. "I can _smell_ you coming, Lloyd _Irving_!" Lloyd yelled out angrily, pressing forwards, despite Kratos calling for him to stop, to think, to come _back_ before the smoke…

He felt the Desians grab for him and swung around, catching one in the throat and making him fall back to the side, clutching his throat and choking on his own blood, but the other four managed to get his arms, and one kicked him viciously in the stomach. Kvar surveyed the destruction with a look of angry fire on his face, and Kratos stood determinedly, sword in hand.

"If you hurt him, you will answer to me," he hissed. Kvar ignored him, turning to Lloyd almost idly. The teen was panting hard, his swords confiscated but hatred still burning fiercely in his eyes, almost a weapon in its own right.

"Of course, your mother and father were just a pair of worthless human maggots," Kvar remarked softly, bringing his staff up. "Filthy creatures."

"Die," Lloyd hissed.

"You…" Kratos started, taking a step forwards, sword in hand, murder written on his face.

"Ah-ah, I wouldn't," Kvar cautioned, smacking the metal tipped-end of the staff into Lloyd's chest. The teen grunted, but refused to wince. "You wouldn't want me to…_ Accidentally _hurt him, would you? Or perhaps pull the Exsphere out of his hand? Oh, wouldn't that be fun? Would you like to _replay history_, Kratos?" Lloyd tried to kick out at him then, shouting angrily, but the Desians held him down, one with a sword to his throat. Kratos, fear in his eyes now, moved forwards, his eyes going from Kvar, to the Desians, to Lloyd, a haunted look in his eyes.

_Not again._

Kvar laughed.

"Familiar, Kratos?" He taunted. "Oh, she cried out for help, too! And what did you do? You killed her. You took out your sword and you cut the life from her. Would you like to do the same to Lloyd?"

"Monster!" Lloyd exclaimed. "You… You depraved… You scumbag! I hope you burn in hell! No… Hell's too good for you!" He struggled blindly once more, desperate to get to his swords and cleave Kvar clean in two, but the Desians, now struggling to hold him back, were stronger. The one with the sword, on a nod from the now-impassive Kvar, ran it straight down Lloyd's front. He screamed.

"Lloyd!" Kratos cried out, distraught, running forwards but not knowing what he could do. He couldn't go through Kvar without the Desians killing Lloyd first; there was no way he could use his angelic magic without Lloyd suspecting…

"How truly sad," Kvar remarked. "You care more about the appearance you have so carefully cultivated than your own s-"

"Kvar!" The Desian was cut off by Forcystus running in. He had his sword out, and there was a considerable amount of blood on it, although none of it seemed to be his own. He was panting – he had run the whole way. "Stop this, _now_!" Kvar looked over at him, a sneer forming on his face.

"Oh, how precious," he remarked. "Coming to aid your Lord." He glanced down. "I told you I'd get your little pet in the end, Forcystus," he remarked. "Ironic, is it not? I never thought you would stoop so low to hide one of my own inferiors from me. Because, as Ranch laws state, the progeny of any Ranch inmate belongs to the owner of the Ranch they were held at…" Kratos used the distraction to rush past him at light speed, not wasting time trying to disable the Cardinal, simply using his distraction as a method of getting to Lloyd. The guards holding him went down within seconds, Kratos' sword a blur of cold steel. Kratos gathered Lloyd up with one arm, supporting the moaning teen with one hand, the other holding his sword.

"Come closer!" He challenged. "I will cut you all down before I let you hurt him again!" Kvar's eyes narrowed, but before he could take up the challenge, Forcystus stepped forwards.

"You want irony?" He cut in, sword now at his side, his face set and determined. "Fool." His white wings spread out from his back. "Call me what you will, Kvar! Your projects never even came close to those of Lord Yggdrasill!" Kvar made a noise of shock as Kratos glanced at Forcystus, who nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Sacred powers…" Kratos whispered, keeping Lloyd held close.

"…Cast your purifying light down upon these corrupt souls…" Forcystus chanted, eyes closed. Kvar took a step back.

"You were…" He murmured, shaking his head. "Impossible…" Forcystus looked directly at him.

"Rest in peace, sinners," he finished softly. Kvar cursed and clicked his fingers, the energy stones glowing bright white and teleporting him out of the room. "Judgement!" Lloyd could have sworn he heard Kratos whisper the same, and bright white light, so bright that Lloyd had to close his eyes, rained down within the confined space, destroying almost everything in the room. It was like a bright, white Armageddon, annihilating everything in the room, save for a ring around himself and Kratos, which the lights didn't even touch. Kratos kept a tight hold on him until the spell was over, before lowering him gently to the floor, light now filtering in through the hole that used to be the ceiling, piercing the smoke and fire.

"Lloyd," Kratos whispered, his voice distraught. Forcystus ran over, his wings disappearing as he ran, as Kratos' sword hit the floor with an all-too-loud clatter in the by now deathly silent room. "Lloyd…"

"Holy Kharlan…" Forcystus murmured upon seeing the wound, unable to manage much else. "Kvar… Tch. I should have expected no better."

"K-Kratos… It… H-hurts…" Lloyd whimpered, noting with trepidation that his blood appeared to be all over Kratos' clothing rather than inside him. That was bad, surely? But… Kratos would fix it, wouldn't he? He always managed to. Even before, with the Giant Plant…

"Lloyd… Don't worry, Lloyd, it'll be all right. You'll be all right," Kratos reassured him softly, holding one hand above the wound and channelling healing energy into it. Forcystus knelt by him and added his strength to Kratos', but the wound remained stubbornly open and deep.

"K-Kratos…" Lloyd started, trying not to choke. Kratos didn't stop trying to heal him, a determined look on his face. "I-I'm… Sorry… It's my fault… You didn't get to kill Kvar…" He continued. Kratos looked at him, sadness deep in his eyes.

"Lloyd…" He murmured, brushing the teen's hair back with one hand. "It's not your fault." Lloyd closed his eyes tightly, trying to stop the tears.

"I just… Got in the way… Like you said… I would…" He murmured. "I'm just… A liability…"

"No, Lloyd," Forcystus disagreed with a shake of his head. "You're just learning."

"…Lloyd…" Kratos managed, his voice sounding somewhat choked. His face was torn, distraught, and there was such self-loathing in his expression that Lloyd made a slight noise, trying to disagree. This wasn't Kratos' fault. "And I… I cannot even cry…" Kratos whispered, Forcystus putting one hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Please… Don't die…" He whispered, trying desperately to heal him again. Forcystus just watched this time, regret and pain in his eyes.

"It's too deep," he murmured. "If you could heal it with magic, it would have closed by now. Ah, if only I'd been a bit quicker… Damn it!" He hit the floor angrily.

"No!" Kratos hissed. "No…" Lloyd could feel him shaking, his hands and his voice betraying how he truly felt no matter how he tried to hide it. "I will not lose him. I will not! I do not care what it takes, I will save him…"

"I-I'm… Sorry…" Lloyd managed. "I wasn't… Strong enough…"

"There will be a way," Kratos whispered. "There… Has to be a way… I won't let you die, I won't!" Silently, Forcystus picked up Kratos' sword from where it had been abandoned on the floor and faced the entrance, not willing to watch.

"Do what you can," he murmured. "I will not let anyone touch you, or him." Lloyd tried weakly to raise his hand, but Kratos didn't let him.

"Anything…" Kratos whispered, holding him close. Lloyd made a slight noise, certain he could see blue light at Kratos' back, and Forcystus turned with a noise of surprise as something inside Lloyd reacted, something he had no name for, a force he couldn't fathom. White light surrounded him, he felt something within him _change_, and heard the distant clatter of a sword hitting the ground, Forcystus having dropped his weapon in shock.

"No…" Forcystus whispered, shaking his head softly, watching in disbelief.

"I will not lose you, too," Kratos told Lloyd softly, and suddenly Lloyd realised what he was doing. He was giving him mana! A portion of his own life to save him… that was what was reacting in his body. The mana… Forcystus, almost agonisingly slowly, reached for his dropped sword as the white light faded and Kratos' wings disappeared, the mercenary not wanting to give Lloyd any concrete evidence.

Lloyd's did not vanish so quickly.

"Impossible…" Forcystus whispered softly. Lloyd looked up at Kratos weakly.

"You… Saved me…" He whispered. Kratos gave him a look filled with such a sadness, he could hardly bear to watch.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, touching his hand to Lloyd's back. The wings vanished, and Lloyd twisted around at the unexpected light, but saw nothing.

"Let me heal you both," Forcystus suggested, running up and casting Healing Wind over the spot the two of them were occupying. "Don't think I'm going to let you continue on this fool's quest of yours unless you're both able."

"I said I wasn't leaving with Kvar still alive," Lloyd growled in disagreement, standing and picking up his swords. Kratos took his back from Forcystus.

"…~_It seems Lord Yggdrasill's theories were correct_,~" he remarked sadly, glancing at Lloyd. Forcystus winced.

"I'm proof of that," he murmured, drawing his own. "Do you feel alright, Lloyd? No weakness or pain from the injury?" Lloyd shook his head.

"I'm fine. More than fine. I'm going to kill him," he hissed. Forcystus sighed.

"…You promised me you wouldn't do this," he reminded him softly. "You said you would leave the Ranch be." Lloyd winced at the reminder of his deceit.

"…I'm sorry," he murmured. "But I couldn't leave it… Not after… What he did to Luin… Everything he's done…" Forcystus sighed.

"I suspected as much, but I thought I would have the chance to stop you," he remarked. "I wish I had. None of us want to lose you, Lloyd." The teen glanced back at Kratos, who looked away slightly.

"…I haven't forgotten," Lloyd muttered, and Kratos sighed softly.

"Then let us do this now, so we can return to Luin," he remarked. "The sooner Kvar lies dead, the better." The fiery determination had returned to his eyes, and Lloyd nodded, equally eager for the half-elf's blood. Forcystus shook his head softly.

"Fools, the both of you," he remarked. Lloyd gave him a look.

"Like you wouldn't kill Yggdrasill if you could," he shot back. Forcystus winced.

"I could never be that strong," he murmured. "But I am not letting the pair of you out of my sight again." Kratos chuckled softly.

"Then let us be going, so we do not inconvenience you overmuch," he suggested. "Lloyd, this way." The teen nodded and ran to catch up with Kratos as he walked through the devastation towards the teleportation portal, Forcystus shaking his head softly and following behind.

* * *

**A/N - **There is more to come. Much more. I promise the delay won't be as long as it was for this chapter Real life burns.

You can click that little review button, if you like. I'd like to know your thoughts/opinions/whatever. This chapter was one that I've had planned for a long time.

And yes... WINGS!


	25. Chapter three: Gravity

**I'M SO SORRY GUYSSSS!**

School eats me *cries in a corner* And work. I guess this chapter would have been up earlier if it wasn't for work...  
I finished school on Friday, however, and I'm on exam leave now. Whilst I'm currently revising, once the exams are over (mid-June time) I will almost defnintely be back to weekly updates. *crosses fingers, touches wood*

In other news, the hyphen key on my keyboard is slowly dying, causing a lot of frustration for poor me. Every time I press it, I need to try at least three times to get a '-' unless I slam my finger down on the key, which not only hurts my finger, it probably doesn't help the key any...

**Disclaimer:** Don't own. Still.

Dieuwtjin (did I spell that right?) - Yes, I did belatedly realise that perhaps it was a little OTT... But then again, I don't think they'd run away. There's probably numerous reasons for it, but I've always believed that they'd rather die in battle than run. Forcystus' reasons for that way of thinking will be explored later on in the fic, hopefully...

Kirimori - (gah hyphen) I'm glad you liked it ^^ I do agree with you a little... When I read my older stories (see: A Hard Day's Work... Or better, DON'T see it ) I cringe at how awfully immature my writing was. Obviously the gap is not quite as large between early chapters and later chapters as it is between early and later stories, but part of the reason for writing any story is to develop as a writer, right? I'm secretly kinda glad you noticed XD

Symphoniafan - Transferring things from game to story and still making them feasible is actually quite a challenge. Take Kvar's death. The in-game way just isn't going to happen in real life, is it? He'd be dead from the first strike, never mind three of them. Hence the change (And if you see the anime, you'll see I took a little inspiration from that on that front, too).  
The suspicion will continue, that I promise ;)  
When will he notice the wings? Who knows XD

NNoEL - I'm too lazy to type your name XD Yeah, he's officially an angel now. But then again, it's my theory that he was _always_ an angel ;) And no, nobody on the good side has been squished ^^  
...But who says it was a _twin_ judgement? *shifty look*

Lyra (even lazier) Wow, a new reviewer! To get a positive review like that just out of the blue really made my day ^^ And that line will make an appearence from the Desians, at least... Yuan's not in it again for a few chapters at least.  
Lloyd has almost 90percent got things figured out. Wait and see ^^  
Well, personally I have no problem with Regal/Presea, but only if Presea has aged physically, otherwise it's just creepy. Genis/Presea is my preferred pairing for the two though, hence this fic XD

Oh, and because it's mentioned in this chapter, for those of you that don't know:  
**Stockholm syndrome** is a psychological response sometimes seen in abducted hostages, in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker, regardless of the danger or risk in which they have been placed. The reverse is known as **Lima Syndrome**.

Perhaps we have a bit of both, who know?

* * *

Chapter three: Gravity

Raine, Genis, Sheena and Colette ran up to the control panel in the large room that Forcystus' directions led them to.

"Intriguing," Raine remarked. "The map itself is projected as a hologram… The technology required to work this must be-"

"Please, Sis, is this really the time?" Genis asked in a long-suffering voice.

"Can you use it?" Sheena asked, looking around with trepidation. Alarms had been going off since the explosion in the other area of the Ranch, and the room was bathed in a flashing red light. All four of them were expecting guards to arrive at any moment.

"I should think so," Raine responded, tapping a few keys. "Aha, here we go." The map changed, to show a closer, more 3D view of a certain area, before panning through a few corridors to show another. "The security in the Ranch is routed to a backup mechanism in two different parts of the Ranch for safety," she exclaimed. "It can only be deactivated… Well, altered, but all we want to do is deactivate… By finding and depressing both of these switches here."

"Will that get rid of _all_ the Security?" Genis asked. "The alarms as well, and whatever's guarding the prisoners?" Raine frowned and pressed a few more buttons.

"You really can use it," Sheena remarked, surprised. "So there _are _people on this side that can use machines…" The screen flashed and changed.

"This is where the prisoners are kept," Raine told them. "Any additional security will be deactivated by the switches, but the main mechanism is controlled by the Desian guards there. If we get close to it, I should be able to hack into it to produce the desired results."

"So, do we even need to get the switches?" Genis asked.

"It'll help the other three out, won't it?" Sheena offered. "The less they have to deal with, the better, and it disadvantages the Desians."

"Exactly," Raine agreed. "Those three are at far more of a disadvantage to us. If it wasn't for the immediate threat to all the prisoners here, I would never have let Forcystus go alone… But we are here, so we should do what we can." Genis gave her a decidedly funny look, which she ignored.

"The more people we can help, the better," Colette murmured, speaking finally. Her hands were clasped tightly together, so tightly the knuckles had gone white – her worry for Lloyd was clear to see. "These are good people… Things shouldn't be like this."

"I don't get how Desians can justify what they do," Sheena muttered. "What makes them think they have the right to treat people like animals?"

"Ask Forcystus," Genis remarked bitterly. "If he survives, that is."

"They will _all_ be fine," Raine told him curtly. "Let's go. The quicker we deactivate those switches, the better for everyone."

* * *

Sheena offered to scout the route ahead, summoning Corrine and going down the corridors in the shadows. There were few guards around, the majority having rushed to deal with the backfiring processing plant, and those that were there didn't even know what hit them when Corrine jumped at them from behind, or Sheena used one of her various cards to put them to sleep before they could raise the alarm.

They went the whole way to the first switch without anyone knowing any the wiser, although Genis had to cast Aqua Burst on a guard robot very swiftly when they got to the switch itself.

"Let's see…" Raine murmured, depressing the main button and tapping on the keys. "…There. That should do it."

"How do we tell?" Sheena asked.

"If the alarms go off when we deactivate the second one, I was successful," Raine responded. "There's no other way of knowing. It's part of the backup."

"Oh… Great…" Sheena murmured. "Should we keep going, then? I don't know how long the Desians I put to sleep will stay that way for."

* * *

They were half-way down a corridor when the entire Ranch seemed to shake, the walls no longer seeming so solid, the foundations no longer seeming so secure.

"What on earth is that?!" Sheena exclaimed, grabbing for purchase on a wall as a noise like an explosion of divine thunder echoed through the corridor.

"Hopefully something going in their favour," Raine muttered through gritted teeth, grabbing a wall to steady herself as she staggered. Colette was hovering in between the floor and the ceiling, wings out, eyes tightly closed and hands clasped together as she prayed.

As suddenly as it had begun, the localised earthquake ceased, and the four slowly returned to the floor in the middle of the corridor, Sheena brushing dust from her shoulders.

"We need a window. I want to know what that was," she decided.

"S-seconded," Genis agreed shakily, not liking the fact that the sudden shaking had caught him off-guard.

"I-I hope Lloyd and Kratos are ok… A-and Forcystus, too," Colette mumbled, her wings vanishing.

"You aren't the only one," Raine agreed grimly.

* * *

They found a door leading outside eventually – windows were in surprisingly short supply in the Ranch – and filed out quickly.

"Holy Martel," Sheena breathed. "There's… There's nothing left of it…" Half of the other main Ranch building had been completely obliterated, and there was no sign of either Desians nor Kratos, Forcystus and Lloyd.

"What could cause that sort of damage?" Raine wondered aloud, thinking hard.

"There's an undamaged area in the middle, look!" Genis pointed out, indicating it with a wave in that direction. "It must have come from there." Desians were starting to flock to the area now, and shouting could be heard echoing around the grounds.

"We should get back inside," Raine suggested. "Whatever that was, they'll need our help more than ever now, and being caught outside by frightened Desians isn't too high on my list of desires."

"Definitely," Sheena agreed as Genis nodded.

"Lloyd, please be alright…" Colette whispered fearfully.

* * *

They went with considerably more caution down the corridors now, wary for both guards and another strange earthquake. Despite this, it was only the sound of terrified people that alerted them to the position of the prisons.

"Is that the prisoners?" Sheena asked, one ear up against the door. "It doesn't sound like Desians… I think I can hear a kid…"

"Should we go in and check?" Genis offered. "The prisons were supposed to be around here, right sis?" Raine nodded.

"It's highly likely," she agreed. "After that… Earthquake… The prisoners will probably be terrified."

"I'm still pretty scared myself," Genis admitted.

"Exactly," Raine agreed with a nod. "Sheena, can you open the door?" Sheena nodded and pressed the button to open the door.

The usual guards weren't there, all of the available Desians having been called to the site of the disaster to try and stop the intruders getting any further into the Ranch. This left a large number of trapped human prisoners in precarious-looking cells that seemed as though they would collapse in on each other if another earthquake of similar magnitude occurred, and it was for exactly this reason that the occupants of the cells were panicking.

"Colette, you try and calm them down!" Sheena suggested. "Damn it, I can't make the doors open…"

"Wait until they are calm, otherwise there will be a stampede, and people could well be killed," Raine cautioned as Colette went up to the prisons on the first level.

"P-please listen to me!" She called. "We're here to get you out! We promise we'll get you somewhere safe, and nobody will be hurt!" Very few people seemed to be listening to her. "Please listen!" She pleaded.

"I'll get their attention," Genis offered. "You just need a loud noise. Air blade!" He cast the magic on the ceiling, and the resulting clatter made silence fall and all of the prisoners look at them with fear in their eyes.

"…Thanks," Colette told him thankfully, neither of them aware of how Forcystus had used that exact same tactic in his own Ranch. "Um, we're here to get you out," she told them again. "If you just remain calm, we'll open the doors and lead you to a place where you can get out of the Ranch… Um… If you could maybe make your way back to Luin afterwards?"

"What was that earthquake, lady?" One of the children asked, pushing forwards. "I thought the wall was gonna collapse!"

"There should not be a repeat within the time it will take to get you all out – _if_ you remain calm," Raine cut in. "Have you got the door, Sheena?"

"…Yep," Sheena replied, pressing a few buttons. "That's more complicated that I expected it to be…" The prison cell doors slid open with barely a sound, and the occupants moved forwards hesitantly.

"This way," Raine told them, starting for the door.

"W-wait!" Colette cut in. "Shouldn't we ask about Chocolat?" Raine looked thoughtful.

"Is there really the time?" She asked. Colette clenched her fists.

"There's always time to help people!" She responded, before turning to the prisoners. "Does anyone know what might have happened to a girl named Chocolat?"

"People don't have names in here, miss," one man replied, arms crossed. Colette bit her lip.

"Um, she will have been brought here last week some time?" She hazarded. "Brown hair, down to about here, very impulsive?"

"I think I saw a girl like that, lady!" The boy piped up again. "They took her to the Iselia Ranch!" Colette smiled thankfully.

"Thank you," she told him, looking up at Raine with a grin. "We can go and rescue her later!" Raine didn't seem to agree, but she simply made a slight noise and turned to leave once more.

"This way," she repeated, and the little group led the prisoners to the concealed entrance.

* * *

"…They were treated so badly…" Colette mumbled as they retraced their steps back to where they had been before freeing the prisoners. "I've never seen such poor living conditions…"

"It's a Ranch," Raine reminded her. "What do you expect?"

"But, Professor…" Colette started. "If they… If they had to live like that, what about… What about Lloyd?" Sheena frowned.

"What about Lloyd?" She asked, confused, feeling understandably like she was missing something. The other three exchanged glances, none of them wanting to tell Sheena the truth. Eventually, Raine sighed and took the responsibility.

"Lloyd… Was held at the Iselia Ranch for just over a month," she revealed. "By Forcystus."

"Wh-what?!" Sheena exclaimed. "But… Forcystus… He's helping us! If he was… And Lloyd… Why is he with us, if he…?"

"Because Lloyd trusts him," Genis muttered, not sounding happy about that. Raine nodded.

"Forcystus let him out of the Ranch," she continued. "Apparently there were complicated circumstances, not that Lloyd has told us much at all about his time there. But he trusts Forcystus, and Forcystus himself has proved his loyalty to us many times over, so for now we are trusting Lloyd's judgement on the situation." Sheena bit her lip, looking at the floor.

"…I never realised…" She murmured. "When we spoke before in Luin, he seemed so happy…"

"He _is_ happy," Raine cut in. "He doesn't seem to have been adversely affected by his time there; save for his view of the world is a little more mature now. That's another reason why I, at least, trust Forcystus. If he had hurt Lloyd, we would know it, and I am almost certain that he hasn't."

"Held in a Human Ranch and befriended its Cardinal…" Sheena murmured. "Sounds a bit like Stockholm Syndrome to me." Genis crossed his arms.

"That's what I thought," he muttered bitterly.

"But Forcystus seems to be as much Lloyd's friend as Lloyd is his," Raine disagreed.

"…I trust Forcystus…" Colette cut in. "If Lloyd trusts him… Then I trust him." Raine nodded.

"Exactly," she agreed. "No good will come of thinking about it now, not here." She looked down the corridor, her face troubled. "We have placed Lloyd's life in the hands of Kratos and Forcystus now, and I believe them to be capable and trustworthy… To a point. If we have doubts, now is not the time to have them."

"Good point," Sheena agreed. "I mean… You're trusting me now, so I guess I'm hardly one to talk…"

"We're friends, aren't we?" Colette asked, frowning in confusion. Sheena sighed weakly.

"Yeah, I guess so," she agreed reluctantly.

* * *

When they reached the second switch, Raine typed in the same sequence as before, and after a few seconds of crossed fingers the alarms went off.

"Well then, I suppose that's our part done," Raine decided primly.

"Can't we go and help Lloyd?" Colette asked, looking concerned. "After that… Earthquake… They're fighting Kvar and all those Desians on their own…"

"We don't even know where they've gone," Raine murmured, looking towards the door with a saddened expression. "Besides… Those two were foolish enough to come here on their own, and for Kratos to do something like that… I get the feeling that this is more than just hatred of Desians. This is personal… Perhaps for both of them. It wouldn't be right of us to interfere." Colette bit her lip and looked away.

"But if they're hurt… What if… What if Lloyd…" She tried, unable to finish.

"You've just got to trust them," Sheena remarked, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's their fight. Sometimes, you can't interfere. You've got the weight of the whole world on your shoulders… Let them bear this burden alone." Colette nodded, unable to speak.

"We will go to the entrance like we agreed," Raine decided. "And all three of them will meet us there when they've finished Kvar, else I won't be happy." Colette nodded again.

"Like they'd dare to disappoint you," Genis remarked, earning a smack around the back of the head. "Ow! Hey, quit it!" He protested, rubbing his abused head.

"…Good luck… All three of you," Raine murmured softly, and they made their way towards the entrance.

* * *

When the three swordsmen reached the teleportation portal, it had been rather obviously deactivated.

"Lousy cheat," Lloyd growled, kicking it. "Come out and fight, Kvar!" Kratos sighed wearily.

"Control your emotions," he chastised. "Look at where rushing into the fight got you last time. You can feel the anger, but you must not allow it to lead you. That way, you will only make more mistakes." Lloyd nodded, suitably chastised, as Forcystus knelt by the panel.

"I can save this," he decided. "Give me a minute. Got anything small and sharp that could pass for a screwdriver, Kratos?" The mercenary looked slightly stumped.

"I do not believe so," he replied. "Can you not use a piece of metal? There is plenty of broken machinery after your reckless spellcasting." Forcystus raised an eyebrow at that.

"Yeah… Sure," he agreed dubiously. "I'll be right back." He jumped to his feet and ran back towards the ex-processing plant. Lloyd watched him go, then turned to Kratos.

"Kratos," he started, but the elder man held up a hand.

"Whatever you wish to ask, now is not the time," he told him. Lloyd clenched his fists, frustrated.

"Yes, it is," he disagreed. "I want some answers!" Kratos looked down at him.

"Answers about what?" He asked, in a tone that said Lloyd needed to be very careful about what he asked. The teen steeled himself, determined.

"…What are you?" He asked softly. A flicker of surprise passed across Kratos' face, as if that wasn't what he had been expecting at all, but he quickly fell back into his customary, almost-expressionless face.

"I don't know what you mean," he responded levelly.

"Yes, you do," Lloyd argued. "You are _not human_, Kratos!" Kratos made a slight noise. "Don't you ignore me!" Lloyd exclaimed. "Answer me! I want to know what's-"

"Arguing already?" Forcystus remarked, running back up with a piece of twisted metal in his hands. "That's not the way you want to go into battle, is it?" He knelt by the panel and used the piece of metal to prise the screws loose.

"…But…" Lloyd protested weakly.

"Forcystus is right," Kratos agreed suddenly. "Kvar is a formidable enemy, Lloyd. That is all you must focus on. You cannot win this fight if your heart is uncertain and your feelings at the fore."

"You seemed to get pretty angry to me, back there," Lloyd muttered bitterly, angry at being thwarted. "I won't forget, Kratos. I want to know." Kratos seemed troubled.

"As you say," he murmured, watching as Forcystus made a pleased noise and the teleporter sprang into life. He put the top part back on, jamming it into place with the heel of his foot.

"That'll have to do," he decided. "We only want to use it once, anyway, right?" Lloyd glanced at the pair of them.

"…Right," he agreed. "Right…" He clenched his fists. "I can do this. Kvar is going down!"

"That's the attitude you want!" Forcystus agreed, moving over to make room for the other two to step onto the panel, one foot still keeping it in place. Lloyd seemed highly dubious as he stepped onto it, and Kratos also seemed slightly uncertain, but Forcystus was clearly confident in the fact that none of them would be horribly maimed by his improvised teleporter, so they trusted him for the moment. "Next stop, Kvar," Forcystus told them, hitting the activation switch with his spare foot, and all three of them warped away.

* * *

Kvar was pacing angrily around his control room when they around, spitting insults at Pronyma, who was on the holograph projector.

"…So you came," he remarked when they appeared. Pronyma looked from Kratos to Lloyd.

"Hmm… They _do_ bear quite the resemblance, you're right," she remarked. "And it seems our resident traitor has made an appearance. Lord Yggdrasill will have your head, Forcystus."

"At least I will die free," Forcystus shot back. "Unlike you, who will be a snivelling slave until the day you die, most likely killed by Lord Yggdrasill for outliving your usefulness." Pronyma's eyes narrowed, and it was clear that, had she been there in person, Forcystus would be in a large amount of pain if she had her way.

"Kill him for me, Kvar," she spat. "Slowly. Painfully." Forcystus shot her an angelic smile.

"I love you too," he replied, and Kvar glared in their direction.

"Do you have any idea how much damage you have done?" He demanded. Kratos drew his sword.

"Not as much as I will do to you, for hurting Lloyd," he growled, and Lloyd found himself unconsciously taking a step back, such was the anger in Kratos' voice. Kvar, however, just chuckled.

"Is that so?" He responded. "Well, in that case, I may just have to accidentally kill you." He idly nudged the projector with one foot, turning it off, much to the obvious displeasure of Pronyma as she disappeared. "Such a shame and a waste I'm sure," he continued, raising his staff. The energy stones appeared above his head, electricity crackling off them. "But I never liked you much anyway… _Lord Aurion_." Forcystus glanced at the doors.

"He's all yours," he told the pair. "I'll take care of the soldiers." Lloyd nodded in acknowledgement, but Kratos was focused entirely on Kvar, a quite rage seeming to surround him.

"This time," he told Lloyd, "we attack as one. And this time, he dies." Lloyd nodded again, drawing his swords.

"This is for my mom, you murdering scumbag," he hissed. Kvar clicked his fingers, and a shield formed around him.

"Charmed, I'm sure," he responded, and on a nod from Kratos, the two of them flew at Kvar.

Lloyd went straight for the energy stones, the blade of one of his swords rebounding off one, the tip lodging in a second, and he took the opportunity and pushed the blade forwards with all his might. Electricity exploded outwards from Kvar's hands, Kratos moving to be in front of Lloyd in an instant, blocking with Guardian as the first energy stone exploded, short-circuited. Lloyd jumped back, closely followed by Kratos, who nodded once at him in acknowledgement.

Even if he wasn't human, he was on his side.

Lloyd blocked with a Guardian that barely lasted as Kvar sent another spell at them, and Kratos cut the other energy stone clean in half, something Lloyd hadn't had the strength or skill to do. Kvar gritted his teeth with anger as his shield faltered, then flickered out of existence entirely, too unstable with only one energy stone to support it.

"Tch," Kvar muttered, raising his staff. "Troublesome inferiors, the both of you. I should have made them finish you outright." Kratos growled angrily and slashed forwards, Kvar blocking every blow with his staff. Lloyd went for the final energy stone, watching them both carefully. Kratos was doing exactly what he had told Lloyd not to do, wasn't he? Letting his anger control him?

_Why_ was he so angry?

The sharp end of Kvar's staff cut a thin line down Kratos' arm, but the mercenary didn't flinch, didn't even notice. Lloyd's grip tightened on his swords. Did it matter? Did it?

He ran forwards and slammed his swords down together, breaking the staff clean in two. Kvar growled angrily and cast a spell that slammed straight into Lloyd, flinging him backwards to the floor, where he landed heavily, winded. Kvar turned to him, but Kratos got there first, slamming his sword straight through Kvar's chest. The Cardinal choked, surprised.

"Kratos…" He hissed. "You pathetic… _Inferior _being!" Lloyd watched the tenuous self-control that Kratos still had snap. Pain, hatred, rage, all the emotions he must have always felt, but never showed, no matter what, were suddenly clear in his eyes. He was gripping his sword so hard his knuckles were bone-white.

"Then why don't you feel the pain of those inferior beings," he suggested in a low, threatening voice, "as you burn in hell!" He tore the sword up and out of Kvar, who fell backwards and hit the floor, dead almost instantly. Kratos lowered his sword slowly, breathing heavily, then turned to look at Lloyd. The teen pushed himself to his feet quickly, walking to Kratos' side.

"…He's dead," he murmured, looking down at the body of the Cardinal. "…Now mom can rest in peace." He closed his eyes. "And your wife." Kratos looked troubled.

"And yet, it doesn't feel like the end," he replied softly. Lloyd sighed, then glanced over at Forcystus, who was down on one knee, adorned with blood – how much of it was his was unclear.

"…Good… Riddance," he managed, panting hard. "You two… Ok?"

"Forcys-" Lloyd started, but Kratos held out a hand, went over to the half-elf and cast a healing spell. Slowly, Forcystus' breathing eased, and he struggled to his feet.

"Ha… Never fought… So many… At once… Before," he remarked. "Was harder… Than I thought… It would be." Kratos shook his head.

"Fool," he remarked. Forcystus laughed weakly.

"No more so than you, for coming here in the first place," he retorted. "What on earth possessed you to think you could do this alone?" Kratos' gaze hardened.

"I had to," he responded curtly. "For her." A sad look appeared on Forcystus' face.

"Yeah," he agreed softly. "Maybe you did. That still doesn't make it wise." Slowly, he made his way over to the computer, where he started to hit the keys, at home once more with the technology. "Let's… finish it for good," he suggested, hitting a key with finality. "Fifteen minutes." Kratos nodded, his face now emotionless once more.

"Lloyd, let's go," he suggested, and Lloyd nodded and ran the few steps to catch up with him as he walked out.

He couldn't help but feel like Kratos had been right – it didn't feel like it was over. Something was left.

Lloyd was almost certain that that something was Cruxis.

* * *

They met up with the other four at the Gate ten minutes later, and Colette instantly hugged Lloyd tightly.

"You're ok, you're ok!" She exclaimed. "I was so worried!" Lloyd smiled.

"I'm fine," he promised her, gently removing her from his person. Raine frowned.

"What happened to your clothes?" She asked, indicating the large tear down his front from the sword which had nearly killed him. Lloyd glanced down at it.

"Oh, I'll fix that later," he decided. "We need to go – the Ranch is set to self-destruct."

"A function I removed from mine, might I add," Forcystus added with a wry smile.

"You're covered in blood!" Sheena exclaimed. "How much of that is yours?!"

"About a quarter of it?" Forcystus offered. "Lloyd was right, though – we've got about three minutes left." Raine, clearly unhappy with the general state of both of them, nodded despite that.

"We should return to Luin," she suggested. "To see that the townspeople are safe." Forcystus nodded in agreement, and the group made its weary way back to the town.

Behind them, cast into a blood-red light by the sunset, the Ranch exploded, dead as its leader was.

* * *

The group got back to Luin as twilight was starting to take over the sky, and the grateful townspeople let them have one of the less-damaged houses. Once they entered it, Raine forced Forcystus to sit down, something he was more than willing to do. With the half-elf suitably dealt with, she turned her attention to Lloyd and Kratos.

"I am ashamed and appalled with both of you," she told them. "What on _earth_ possessed you to do something so _foolish_?" Raine demanded. "You could have been _killed_!" Lloyd looked at Kratos guiltily.

"I couldn't stand it… Everything Kvar's done…" He mumbled. "I couldn't take it any more…" Raine rounded on Kratos.

"And you, Kratos!" She exclaimed. "I thought you had more sense! Lloyd I might expect this from, but you!" He met her gaze levelly. "I thought I could rely on you to keep a level head!"

"My apologies," Kratos replied, although he didn't look away. "I am aware of what the consequences of our actions could have been… Well aware." Lloyd flinched. "Do not blame Lloyd. He is young. The fault lies with me."

"No," Raine disagreed with a shake of her head. "He was more than willing to go with you. Shouldering your own part of the blame is a part of growing up." Kratos looked troubled. "Why did you let him go?" She asked him softly. "_Why_, Kratos?" Kratos sighed, looking away this time.

"I… Was not thinking with an entirely unclouded mind," he responded softly. "The desire for revenge… Can make people blind. It is only when things go wrong that… Your eyes are opened. The living… Should always be worth more than avenging the memory of the dead." He closed his eyes. "It is not a mistake I will repeat."

"I should hope not," Raine murmured. Forcystus made a troubled noise.

"I'm… I'm sorry," Lloyd added quietly. "I didn't mean… To worry you. I guess I… I wasn't thinking straight, either." He glanced at Kratos, who was still looking away. "You… You saved my life. Thank you." Kratos sighed softly.

"It is not something I deserve thanks for," he whispered, his voice barely audible. Lloyd clenched his fists, fighting back tears.

"It's ridiculous!" He exclaimed. "How could he hurt people so much for one little gem? This…" He looked down at his Exsphere. "For this… People are still hurting… Even after he's dead…" Kratos turned away.

"People will always hurt," he responded. "For as long as there are Desians, and those that control them, people will always hurt." Forcystus made a dissatisfied noise, standing up.

"And people will hurt long after, because of the scars," he added, walking out, waving away Raine's attempts to stop him. Kratos watched him go silently.

"All he ever did was play games with people," Lloyd continued. "Play games with lives… Experiment with human lives. Even this… Even me… My mom, my dad… He played games with all of them. And if she'd never been taken to the Ranch, never had this thing put in her, I'd never have been born…" He closed his eyes, holding back tears. "And I don't know what to think any more!"

"…What do you mean, 'put in'?" Genis asked quietly. Lloyd ran a gloved hand over his eyes to stop himself from crying.

"That's how they make them," he replied. "I told you that before, at Magnius' Ranch. They put a raw Exsphere into a host and subject it to as much stress as possible, then extract it… Killing the host in the process." He closed his eyes. "That's what they are. Human lives." Genis cried out in shock.

"Human lives?!" Sheena exclaimed. "Exspheres are… Human lives?" Lloyd nodded mutely. "That's… That's horrific! _Why_?!" Lloyd looked at the floor.

"I don't know," he whispered, and Kratos turned away. "I was never given a reason. Just the how. Never the why." He closed his eyes. "The Exsphere is like a parasite… It eats away at the host… Until they're not the same as they were before. It changes them." He looked over at Colette, who was watching them all with worry and concern in her eyes. "But Forcystus did say… That a Cruxis Crystal… Is just a type of Exsphere," he added softly. Sheena recoiled and tore the Exsphere she wore out of her Key Crest.

"A… Human life… So sick…" She whispered.

"Wh-what?" Colette asked, looking scared now. Lloyd clenched his fists.

"That's why you're changing," he whispered. "That's why you can't feel, you don't eat, you can't cry or sleep! That's why!" He hit the floor. "Because of _Cruxis_!" Colette put her hands together.

"If… If it saves Sylvarant… I will give anything," she murmured. "Because… Because I have to."

"We are using human lives," Raine repeated, looking at her Exsphere. "…Is that right?"

"We can't… Complete this journey without these… And even if they are human lives… What does it mean if we throw them away?" Colette murmured. "We need these, we can't do a thing without them, we're nothing… All those people, they would have died, for… For nothing. Lloyd closed his ears, unable to stop the tears this time.

"There is no right answer," he replied. "It makes me sick, it always did… And I stood next to the machines that made the Exspheres the way they are, I stood there and did nothing… But what else can we do? So I… I'll keep my Exsphere, because… It's all I have of my mom… And if I threw it away… It would be like killing her, all over again." Kratos sighed suddenly, making them all look up at him.

"Colette's right," he murmured. "We can throw away the Exspheres at any time." His hand touched his own Exsphere, resting in its Key Crest on his hand. "But right now, we must carry the weight of the hopes and dreams of those victims and fight for their sake, as well as ours." He looked over at Lloyd. "Didn't you say you weren't going to hesitate any more?" Lloyd sighed, he _had_ said that, one night during one training session that he barely remembered.

"If mom can ever forgive me for this…" He murmured. "For knowing this…"

"…People are sinful creatures," Raine murmured. "Life survives at the cost of another. Then we must continue to bear the burden of our sins for as long as we live." She walked out of the room, the door swinging shut behind her.

"…For as long as we live…" Kratos repeated softly. "But I have lived too long… And sinned too much." He shook his head slowly, going over to one corner of the room and sitting down there, resting his head back against the wall. Lloyd looked over at him, at how tired he suddenly seemed, thinking of all the ways he had helped him, protected him, saved him.

The questions could wait one more day.

* * *

"Forcystus?" Raine asked, walking up to join the ex-Desian at the edge of the lake.

"…Raine," he started softly, not turning around. "Shouldn't you be with Lloyd?" Raine stopped level with him and looked out across the water.

"He told us about the Exspheres," she informed him softly. He nodded.

"He always hated it," he murmured in response. He still wasn't looking at her, his gaze fixed out across the lake. "He said, once, that he hated what I did, he hated my leader and he hated everything I stood for… But he didn't hate me."

"You went after him," Raine murmured. "You went alone, you were hurt so much by the people who once called you a leader, all for him."

"And?" Forcystus asked. Raine noticed that his sword was off to one side, stuck into the bloodied ground. She sighed.

"That was… When I realised something," she continued. "I didn't trust you, because you were a Desian. I thought that surely there must be some ulterior motive, because… Why would a Desian help a human? But when you did that… I realised that perhaps… I'd misjudged you." Forcystus chuckled softly, making her look at him in confusion.

"Misjudged," he mused. "Quite a word. You know…" He picked up a stone from the floor and tossed it out over the lake, where it skimmed four times, then sank. "I did what I could for Lloyd. To start out, it was just a job, just an order, just a favour. But eventually… I protected him for his own sake. There's something about him that's so precious, so rare… The world can't afford to lose it." Raine nodded slowly.

"He's an idealist… This journey will hit him hard," she murmured. "But, he bounces back, every time… You, and Kratos at times… Sometimes I wonder if you even try to stay alive…" She looked at him, and, finally, he looked back.

"Kratos gave up on life long ago," he murmured. "I, on the other hand, simply have nothing to live for." Raine looked to the side.

"Is this not worth living for?" She murmured. Forcystus sighed, and she looked back up at him, concerned.

"'This'," he repeated. "This? What is 'this'?" He shook his head. "I, more than any of you… Save perhaps one… Know just how pointless this whole thing is. What a useless, pointless, stupid circle it is. This journey would never have sealed us away. We move, Raine, we leave of our own accord, to go cause some more innocent people suffering. My life revolves around suffering, and causing it." He looked at his hands again. "Before Lloyd came, it was nothing. I could have watched this massacre and it would have meant very little to me. My ideals had been killed. My hopes destroyed, just like my family. Lloyd rekindled the fire I once had, the desire to change things. But, doing this… Changes nothing at all."

"You've changed us," she murmured. "One of us, at least." Forcystus looked up as she turned away; gently moving her head back to face him with one hand.

"Then give me something worth living for," he whispered. "And I may just live on a while longer." Slowly, she put one hand on top of his, moving it from her face.

"I'll do my best," she replied with a slight smile, and he smiled back as she turned and walked away.

* * *

**A/N -** Once again, apologies for the delay! I hope it was worth the wait... Let me know your thoughts, comments etc. I do take it all on board, I promise XD


	26. Chapter four: Those Who Cannot Cry

**Oh my gosh guys, **this chapter fought me the WHOLE WAY. If I were not on exam leave and in possession of stupid amounts of free time (most of which, I'll admit, I should be using for revision), this would have been really, REALLY late.

Even now I'm not totally 100% happy with this chapter. I could really, _really_ use some constructive critiscism. Be mean to me, I don't mind! I really want some help :(

Symphoniafan: HUGE GENERAL THANKS. ^^

Dieuwtjin: Hacking, eh... You have a good point, where _do_ he computer skills come from? Probably the first 12 years of her life, I guess, which were spent in Tethe'alla (Heimdall?), so maybe she did get the word there...  
True... Uh... It's a person in ToS *shifty look* I actually spent a long time thinking it was named after a person, sooo... But yeah, you have a good point, noted.  
Eh... Maybe it is *helpless shrug* Maybe Lloyd was just looking for a way out of the telling off XD  
There's been little bits... I've been trying to put them together quite a bit in the past chapters, they often have talks about the archaeology they're around, and things like that. But eh, maybe the little bits really were too little...  
It's a good point, once more. I dithered over that section for a while, it went through a lot of changes (just ask my beta, XD). And I don't mind you sounding overly harsh, it's not like you just said "This sucks, fool!" Which would have offended me somewhat XD I really do appreciate the time you take to review. Thank you ^^

LikeaGlintofLight: This chapter, my friend ^^

Sholay: Yay! A new reviewer! And such a long review, too! I've tried to put Genis in more like you said, in fact, I'll have to admit that I do forget that Colette exists, period Genis is... A very hard character to write, I've found so far. The thing with Kratos, Lloyd, Forcy, Raine and Sheena to an extent is that they speak to me. I find it somewhat easier to... Get under their skin? It's kinda hard to describe... I usually use a lot of hand gestures when I try, so I'll giv eup now XD But yeah, I've taken your comment and tried to act on it.  
The Lloyd's Shirt Enigma is dealt with in the chapter ^^ And the Masker... I did _think_ that I'd written him taking it off, but, on rereading, it appeared that I'd only thought it and not typed it, which does happen on occasion Either way, it's no longer on his person. Sorry about that  
And, of course, THANK YOU. Your review was a very pleasant surprise ^^

Kohaku: Thanks ^^

Ethargh: I've tried. ^^  
The thing with Kratos and Lloyd is, would you instantly think that Kratos is your father? The fact remains that Lloyd still believes that Kratos is 24. They don't actually learn that angels don't age until they go to the Latheon Gorge, I believe. So, for Lloyd at least, it's somewhat nonsensical to think "oh yeah, maybe he's that father that ran off and left me all those years ago." That's not to say Lloyd didn't pick up on those hints (despite dying at the time, for some of them), it's just that he doesn't jump to the correct conclusion from them.  
And all that for someone who was probably just joking XD

Finally... THANK YOU TO MY BETA, freakyanimegal, for her help with this chapter. Oh boy did it need it. Anyway, I'm posting this and going to bed now, for I have TWO exams tomorrow. That's over three hours straight in the exam hall. Doing MATHS. Heaven help me.

**Disclaimer: **Do not own.

* * *

Chapter four: Those Who Cannot Cry

Lloyd sat in the ruins of a Luin house, a needle and thread in one hand, slowly stitching back together his torn top. The front of it had stained a dark red; even the buttons had crusted brown with his own blood, to the extent that it was impossible to tell that it had ever been a lighter red. It made Lloyd feel strange, slowly stitching together something possibly permanently died darker with his own blood, and made him think long and hard about his own mortality.

He'd never really considered that any of the group might die, not even when he'd been attacked by the giant plant. They had Kratos, they had Forcystus, they had Raine, all of whom were strong, the strongest people in the world in his eyes; but kneeling there, in front of Kvar, defeated partly by his own stupidity, partly by circumstance but mostly by bad luck, and seeing Kratos hover, hesitate, unable to move had reminded him that they weren't perfect, they were only human, they could be cut, they could die, and there was a chance that the healing magic might not be enough.

Kratos had given up a part of his own life for him.

Lloyd still couldn't fathom this. Why, why had he done it? As much as he trusted the mercenary now – despite the burning questions that were stuck in his mind and refused to let go until they had answers – he hadn't known him long, in fact if his relationship with Forcystus was anything to go by he'd probably known him for the least amount of time out of the entire group. It couldn't have been more than a month since he'd broken out – he hadn't been keeping a close enough track of that, he admitted, but it hadn't been long, even if it seemed like it. So why, _why_ had he made such a tremendous sacrifice for him? It was just another one of those things that Lloyd didn't understand about him.

He finished the stitching and stood up. The night was wearing on, the others asleep around him – bar Colette and Kratos, both of whom were strangely absent from the little hut.

Lloyd picked his way across the broken floorboards, using a level of caution he hadn't employed since his time in the Ranch to get outside without making a sound, then jogged down to the lake, where he knelt on the grass and washed his top, trying to get the worst of the blood and grime out of it. The fact that its colour when wet was almost identical to its colour when bloodstained was not helpful in that endeavour.

He wrung it out as best he could, unable to see the colour of the water in the dark but hoping he'd at least got _most_ of the blood out, and flapped it a couple of times in the wind. He found himself wishing he had magic once more, this time so he could dry it out with ease. The night was cold, and he was feeling it without any upper-body clothing to speak of.

Shivering in the night air, he slung his shirt over his back, spread out to try and aid with drying, and went for a walk. He couldn't sleep – his mind refused to shut down, almost as though sleep was something it no longer wanted to consider. The feeling was strange, and rather irritating, because Lloyd was certain the shirt would be dry by the morning, and sleep would make that time come much sooner.

He walked over to the closet bridge, one that had been smashed to pieces by Kvar's soldiers and rendered entirely uncrossable. He sat on the broken edge, pulled off his boots and dangled his feet in the water, willing his mind to register his tiredness. He was sure he _should_ be feeling tired, nearly dying would do that to a person, wouldn't it? Yet he wasn't.

Sighing with a mixture of pent-up frustration and anger, he leant backwards, his feet splashing in the lake water with a sound that carried in the empty night. All those niggling little things that had been nothing on their own were suddenly adding up into one huge pile of frustrating, unanswered questions, and whilst normally it would make sense to trust the man who had saved your life several times, Lloyd, for the first time, was finding himself doubting him.

He got up, kicked his feet in the air a few times and rubbed them on the grass to dry them, pulled his boots back on and set off to find wherever Kratos had got to. He needed answers. And he needed them now.

* * *

"Kratos!" He called, seeing the mercenary stood in front of the ruins of a house, and Kratos turned to him with an expression more melancholic than Lloyd had ever seen. "…Are you ok?" He asked uncertainly, struck by the sadness in his face. "Is this place… Special, or something?"

"She lived here," Kratos murmured, turning back to look at charred beams, the broken roof, the bloodstained timber. "My wife. She lived here." Lloyd walked up, silent, and looked at the ruins.

"Before… Kvar?" He asked softly. Kratos nodded, once, and sighed.

"Yes, and before me," he agreed. "You should be sleeping." Lloyd twisted one foot on the ground, feeling strangely guilty.

"I couldn't," he replied. "It's like, I know I _should_, and I _want_ to, but my mind won't shut down." He laughed softly. "Guess my insomnia's almost as bad as yours." Kratos sighed, sensing the accusation threaded into the joke.

"And because you cannot sleep, you have come to me for answers," he responded. Lloyd nodded, his face set now, and Kratos looked up at the stars, his face impassive. "Are you afraid of death, Lloyd?" He asked, not looking at the boy. Lloyd looked back at the ruin in front of them, and at the destruction surrounding them.

"I think everyone is, just a little bit," he replied eventually. "Like, they say they aren't, but I think everyone would be afraid of death, because it's just so… Final. And nobody really knows what happens when they die. I mean, they say you go to be with Martel, but how do they know that's true? _How_ can it be true?" Lloyd scuffed his foot in the dirt once more. "I never used to think about it. Now I've nearly died twice, and I think… I think I _respect_ the power that could cause it, but I'm not really that afraid of death any more. Because… I've seen a lot of people die. Even when I was little there was death around me. We all die, in the end, right? So… There's no use in being afraid, even if you are." Kratos made a small, slight noise.

"You know so little," he murmured. "Very well. Come with me… Away from here. I'll tell you what you want to know." He looked at Lloyd properly then, worry in his eyes. "Hopefully then your mind will let you sleep."

There seemed to be more than the usual amount of pleading hope in his sentence than Lloyd would have expected.

* * *

They went up on top of the hill behind the Inn, Lloyd trying to ignore the ruins that were all that remained of the Katz stand. The Katz themselves had fled before the attack, since they hadn't been seen or found by anyone afterwards, but the reminder of the destruction was still there.

"Ask," Kratos told Lloyd, his voice soft, regretful. "I will answer you as honestly as I can."

"As you can?" Lloyd repeated dubiously, but Kratos didn't seem too inclined to answer that particular question at all, so he picked at the grass absently and thought about how to phrase the many, many questions he had in a way that wouldn't make him seem like an idiot. "…Are you an angel?" He settled for. That seemed to be the easiest way to ask about everything that didn't add up. One question with one answer.

Kratos sighed softly, running a hand back through his unruly hair.

"Yes," he replied, and the simplicity of it stunned Lloyd into a temporary silence. Despite what Kratos had said, he had expected him to dance around it, to deflect him, or even to outright deny it, not to just admit it. He shook his head.

"You…" He murmured, looking over at Kratos. The mercenary – the _angel_ – was looking at the grass beneath his feet, a quiet kind of melancholy reflected in his face.

"I despised them," He told Lloyd softly, still not looking at him. "The angels. I hated them." He looked up at the sky. "I still do." He closed his eyes, and his face looked weary, tired.

"But you eat," Lloyd mumbled, as though wanting to prove his own conclusion, Kratos' own confession, wrong. Kratos nodded. "Oh! Are you… Are you like Forcystus? H-he eats. He's…" Lloyd trailed off as Kratos shook his head, turning his rust-red eyes on Lloyd.

"If you did not want to know," he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper, practically inaudible to Lloyd, "why did you ask?" Lloyd turned away, clenching his fists.

"I just want to be able to trust you," he muttered, his teeth gritted. "I want to know what's going on. Why… Why would you…" Kratos sighed.

"And so the angels bore the Chosen one, who headed towards the Tower that reached up unto the heavens," he quoted.

"Forcystus said she was a lie," Lloyd murmured. "The Goddess Martel. That she isn't… What we think she is." Kratos closed his eyes.

"She isn't," he agreed. "But who is?" He laid one hand over his heart, and his wings spread from his back, casting a soft blue glow over them both. Lloyd couldn't suppress the gasp, clenching his fists so hard his fingernails dug into his palms in an effort to stop his instinct to reach out.

_Blue light_.

"Go on," Kratos offered, his voice hushed, his face turned away, and Lloyd did start to reach out, but snatched his hand away almost instantly, feeling guilty.

"I can't," he replied softly. It felt so surreal to him, still. Everything was too surreal. "Why… If you're an angel, why are you helping us?"

"Does being an angel make me evil by definition?" Kratos returned. "Is an angel not supposed to personify good?"

"You said yourself that they don't," Lloyd muttered sullenly. "Are you one of Yggdrasill's, then? Another one of his pawns, like Forcystus?" He glared at the elder man, who couldn't meet his eyes, looking away. "How far does being on our side go? For as long as Yggdrasill wants?"

"I am on your side, Lloyd," Kratos responded. "Always." The wings disappeared, plunging them both into darkness once more. "Always and forever." Lloyd shook his head, looking away.

"Why?" He asked. "Why are you on our side? What have we ever done for you?" This question seemed to stump Kratos; he paused, made a sad noise, and turned away.

"Many reasons," he replied eventually. "I am sorry, Lloyd, but… That is not a question I can answer for you fully." Lloyd sighed, kicking the dirt in frustration. His mind still felt awake, buzzing, unable to shut down.

"Explain," he requested softly. "Explain what it means… To be an angel." Kratos sighed wearily.

"What it means to be an angel…" He repeated. "The meaning behind it…" He shook his head. "I don't know if I really can. To be an angel is to be twisted, to no longer be human."

"Will you lose your humanity, then?" Lloyd demanded. "Will you become like Colette?" Kratos frowned slightly.

"Not like Colette, no," he responded. "She is different. She is the Chosen." He rested his head in one hand, looking out over the hill, thoughtful. "The Angel Transformation affects different people to different extents. I believe the Key Crest on my Exsphere might have influenced mine." Lloyd glanced over at the blue gem set into his hand, glimmering in the starlight, and looked at his own, his special Exsphere. The _special_ human… "I eat, but I…" Kratos started once more, breaking off with an unhappy noise. "I do not feel touch, I have no sensation of hot or cold. I do not _need_ the food I can eat, either. I am… I am not human. Not any more." He lowered his head, eyes closed. "The Chosen is different, as is Forcystus. Forcystus is…" He frowned, and shook his head. "Was unique." He looked over at Lloyd. "Lloyd. Would it be too much to ask for your silence?" Lloyd bit his lip, playing with his fingers.

"Why do you want to hide?" He responded eventually. "Why does Forcystus? Why is it so bad to be an angel?"

"To be one of Cruxis?" Kratos replied with his own question. "Think, Lloyd. If you were one of the others, how would _you_ respond?" Lloyd thought of Genis and Raine, and Sheena, then sighed and shook his head.

"…I'll stay quiet," he agreed. "Because… Because I trust you, Kratos." Kratos stood up then, turning to face the opposite direction to Lloyd.

"If you have questions in future, do not come to me," he told him gently. "Go to Forcystus. He will speak to you… He will tell you what you want to know in a far better manner than I." Lloyd nodded slowly.

"Kratos," he started as the mercenary started to walk away. "Your last name. It's Aurion, isn't it?" Kratos looked away.

"Yes," he responded softly. "I'm sorry." Lloyd twirled a piece of grass around his finger until it broke.

"Thanks," he murmured. "For answering." He twisted around to look at him. "I still trust you." Kratos had put his mask back on once more, his face impassive, emotionless.

"I understand," he replied simply, walking away, leaving Lloyd in the dark, still wide awake, to think on things.

* * *

He sat there for the whole night, and by the time morning came, he was still wide awake and rather cold, although his top was dry, which was something of a bonus. He couldn't help but think that he had been rather stupid to wash it in the middle of the night.

He was still sat on the hill, thinking, when Genis came up and poked him just after sunrise.

"Hey, Lloyd, Raine's looking for you," he told him. "It's breakfast. Why're you up here… So early in the morning? It's not like you to get up before midday." Lloyd glared at him.

"I couldn't sleep," he replied, standing up. "Eh, I'm not in trouble, am I?" Genis laughed.

"Depends how quickly you get back!" He replied, sticking his tongue out at Lloyd and running off.

"Wh- hey! Genis!" Lloyd protested, running after him, only realising then that his back was soaked with dew, and it wasn't nice.

* * *

"Ooh, breakfast!" Lloyd remarked happily, pouncing on the plate Raine had in her hand and wolfing it down, much to Raine's lack of amusement.

"And just where did you sneak off to, young man?" She demanded.

"I was just up on the hill. Sorry, Professor," Lloyd replied in between bites. "I couldn't sleep last night, so I went for a walk." Kratos, who had been cooking, sighed softly at this.

"You haven't had _any_ sleep?" Forcystus repeated. "That's not good for you, Lloyd." Lloyd shrugged, putting the now-empty plate down.

"My brain was awake," he replied lamely. "'Sides, I'm fine." Raine folded her arms.

"If you keel over due to lack of sleep today, don't expect any sympathy from me," she threatened. "I'll be watching you tonight, and I expect you to get some sleep, young man." Lloyd swallowed nervously.

"…Yes Professor…" He responded in a small voice.

"Are you sure you're ok, Lloyd?" Colette asked, her face a picture of concern. Lloyd looked away.

_She is different. She is the Chosen._

"Yeah," he replied. "Just fine."

* * *

Sheena awkwardly offered the option of going to Hima, the journey there being shorter than to Asgard. Kratos and Raine had a quiet, but nevertheless heated, discussion about it, and eventually agreed that doing so was the best bet.

Lloyd found himself on Noishe's back, much to his irritation. No amount of protesting that he was perfectly fine in every way would convince Kratos otherwise, and once he had Raine and Forcystus on his side, Lloyd had been doomed. Genis and Colette walked with him, chatting to him as he glared at Kratos as evilly as he could manage.

* * *

"Welcome to Hima!" a cheery-looking man greeted as the group walked into the town, the sun setting on the horizon. "The Inn is just down that way, on the left. Enjoy your stay!"

"Everyone is always so cheery," Forcystus remarked, clearly not impressed by this fact. "Well, I suppose I'll go elsewhere if you're all headed to the Inn. They won't want filthy half-elf scum in their respectable establishments, after all!" He smiled cheerily, and walked away before any of them could protest.

"…I've been here before," Sheena admitted. "They know me at the Inn. If you want, I can go and get us rooms." Raine nodded.

"This is an ideal opportunity to re-stock our supplies," she decided. "Kratos and I shall visit the vendors. The three of you may do what you wish – but keep an eye on Lloyd. I don't want him falling asleep where he stands." Lloyd muttered something sulky at that.

* * *

Colette dragged them to the Church of Martel, and prayed in front of the altar whilst Lloyd and Genis sat in the pews, watching her. Lloyd thought of all the things she was hiding, the way she must surely be suffering, everything Kratos had told him…

_She can't feel any more_, he thought, hearing the low murmur of her prayer but unable to actually catch the words. _She doesn't feel pain, or hot, or cold, she doesn't sleep, she doesn't eat… She can't even cry._ He clenched his fists_. She's… She losing her humanity._ Genis turned in the pew to look at Lloyd, concerned by his behaviour.

"Everything ok?" He asked, clearly thinking that the lack of sleep had caught up with Lloyd at last. Colette stopped praying to look over at them

"That's what being an angel means," Lloyd whispered, despite Colette's gaze_. It means no longer being human. _Despite how soft Lloyd's tone had been, Colette looked away. Her enhanced hearing, another angelic transformation. "Yeah, Genis, it's nothing," he replied at a more audible volume. "Just… Thinking about things." Genis seemed sceptical, but shrugged and didn't push the issue. _And I… I'm just letting it happen! _Lloyd realised, looking up at Colette, who was still stood, but turned away. "Colette," he called across, and she turned to look at him, worry in her eyes. "Are you… Ok?" She seemed perplexed by this.

"I don't know what you mean…" She replied uncertainly.

"That makes two of us," Genis remarked wryly. Lloyd sighed.

"The others will be back at the Inn by now, right?" He asked Genis, who nodded, not sure where this was leading. "Right. Come back to the Inn with me, will you both? There's… There's something I need to talk to you all about." The two of them nodded, Colette saddened and Genis confused, and followed him out of the Church.

* * *

When they got out of the Church, they found that it was raining, a semi-torrential downpour that somehow managed to be muggy and warm at the same time.

"Bah! Now I'm all wet," Genis complained when they reached the Inn, shaking his arms to try and get the rain off them, and trying to find something dry on him to get the water off his Kendama, which would apparently be less useful when soaking wet.

"Hey guys," Sheena greeted. "Is it that wet?" Raine and Kratos came in through the door as she said that, both of them soaking wet and Raine looking very irritable about it.

"It is very much 'that wet'," Raine agreed. "And I am in dire need of a towel." Sheena rummaged around in the packs, which she had been looking after, and eventually produced one which she passed over to a very grateful Raine.

"Hi," Forcystus greeted, sticking his head in through the window. "You think I can sneak in? It's soaking wet. The weather is clearly trying to live up to your presence, Raine." Aforementioned teacher glared at him for that comment, and Kratos helped him to clamber in through the window. "Phew!" He remarked, brushing a hand over his hair to try and get rid of the worst of the water. "Not my kind of weather." Lloyd looked around.

"Guys… I have something to tell you all," he started. "Colette's been hiding. She can no longer feel, or sleep, or eat. Every time she releases a Seal, she becomes less human." Sheena gasped in surprise, and Colette looked away as all of the eyes in the room turned to her. "That's what becoming an angel means!" Lloyd started, determined once more. "It means losing all of what makes her human!" Forcystus looked away as Kratos made a sad noise, regret in his eyes.

"Losing her humanity…" Sheena murmured.

"Colette…" Genis started. "Why didn't you tell us?" She looked away.

"And by the end… I don't know what's going to happen," Lloyd mumbled, looking up at Kratos and Forcystus. Forcystus seemed openly troubled, but Kratos was looking away, his face an impassive mask once more.

"She'll be the only angel in the whole world," Genis murmured. "It'll be so lonely…" Kratos made a slight noise.

"Not… The only angel," he responded, walking swiftly across the wooden floor of the Inn and brushing past Lloyd, pausing with one hand on the teen's arm. "Take care of her, Lloyd."

"I will," the teen promised, determination in his eyes, and Kratos sighed and walked out, into the rain, the door slamming with a kind of finality behind him.

"Ah… That's…" Raine started uncertainly, and Forcystus sighed softly, closing his eyes with a shake of his head. Colette sighed.

"Don't worry, Professor," she told her. "I'm sorry to worry everyone! Right now, everything's a little difficult, but once I become a real angel, things will be a lot easier. So don't worry." She smiled, looking at everyone brightly as if to try and reassure them. Forcystus frowned.

"That's…" He murmured. Sheena stood up properly.

"But it's too hard on you!" She protested. "If you're tired, don't you want to sleep? If you see everyone else eating, don't you miss what they taste? Don't you miss feeling that someone is by your side when they hold your hand? It's crazy!" Colette sighed, and Lloyd bit his lip. Was that how Kratos felt? What that what he'd lived with for… However long he'd been an angel?

Lloyd wondered if it had been before or after Kvar that he'd made the choice.

"Thank you, Sheena…" Colette murmured. "But I can't stop. If I do, everyone throughout the world will suffer. I was born for the sake of this, so I'll do it properly, ok?" Forcystus sighed.

"…That is the fate of the Chosen," he murmured sadly. "One side stops suffering…"

"Colette," Lloyd started suddenly, making her look up at him. "I promise you that I will find a way to make you human again… To stop you suffering. There has _got_ to be a way. I won't let anyone else suffer for this, especially you!" Colette bowed her head.

"Th… Thank you, Lloyd," she replied. "But I… I'm going to finish this journey. For Sylvarant. I'm going to become an angel. It's what father wants."

"Which one?" Forcystus asked, almost absently, and Colette cringed.

"…I'm sure… Both of them do," she responded softly, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"If you're sure…" Raine murmured. "But, Colette, this path isn't going to be easy, you know." Colette nodded.

"I know," she responded. "But I have to do it. For the world." That made Forcystus make an angry noise, the others looking at him in concern.

"For _Sylvarant_," he spat bitterly, turning and storming up the wooden stairs. Raine sighed and shook her head, and Colette looked over at Lloyd, her usual smile on her face.

"Please don't be sad," she begged him. He looked away from her.

"…I'll cry for you," he told her, his voice soft. "I'll taste for you; I'll feel the warmth in another's hand for you. I'll live for you if I have to, Colette. You're not alone." He walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Just remember. Even if you become an angel… You're still you, ok? You'll always be Colette." He smiled at her. "One of the only people who'd be friends with a kid found with his dead mom and raised by a dwarf." She hugged him.

"Lloyd…" She whispered. "I would cry… I want to cry… But I can't… I can't!" Lloyd couldn't help but be reminded of Kratos, when he'd been dying in the Human Ranch, disgusted with himself for being unable to cry.

"I know," he soothed. "It's ok. Just don't forget, I'm here for you. All of us are." Colette nodded.

"I won't, Lloyd… I won't," she responded, her eyes shining, the closest she could get to crying any longer.

* * *

Kratos had retreated up to the top of the mountain that Hima was built on, not caring that the rain had rendered him drenched within a matter of seconds. He couldn't feel it. Even as he sat there, looking at the Exsphere set into his hand and the raindrops bouncing off it, knowing he should feel _something, anything_, he couldn't.

"Hey, Kratos, you alright?" Lloyd called. Kratos turned, surprised, as Lloyd clambered up to the top of the mountain to join him, also soaked to the skin.

"…Lloyd…" He murmured, standing up and walking over to join the teen. "…What are you doing out here?" Lloyd grinned at him.

"Well, in case you didn't notice, it's raining, and you're standing out in it," he replied. "I just wondered… If you were ok." Kratos sighed, looking up at the clouded sky, wishing he could feel the rain hit his skin and run down his face. It would be so nice to be human again.

"…I am fine," he responded eventually. "You need not concern yourself with me, Lloyd." Lloyd tilted his head, looking thoughtful.

"Is it 'cause of Kvar?" He asked. Kratos turned his eyes on the boy then, confused and surprised by the sudden question. He had thought that already behind them. "Because of what he did?" Kratos' eyes automatically went to the stitching on Lloyd's top, which was barely visible and a testament to the boy's skills, reminded painfully of the gaping wound, the blood running so freely, Lloyd begging him to help, the pain, the tears…

"_Kratos… Please… Kill me… I don't want to… Hurt Lloyd… Gghh…"_

"She…" He whispered, reaching out for him then stopping himself. "…It is nothing." He closed his eyes and turned away, looking up at the darkened sky, questions in his heart as potentially dangerous as those Lloyd had asked him, the previous night. "…Lloyd…" He started, swallowing. "Your… Your father killed your mother." The words cut him even as he said them. "Can you truly say that by killing Kvar you have avenged her?" He dreaded the answer. Dreaded hearing Lloyd denounce his hatred of him. Dreaded the rejection.

"…Yeah," he responded, and that one word lifted one of the heavy burdens on Kratos' heart. "I know dad killed mom, but…" Kratos turned to face him once more, looking at the look on the youngster's face, the sadness in his gaze. "It was Kvar's fault." Lloyd clenched his fists, anger dominating now. "He created the situation that forced dad to kill mom. I _know_ my dad loved her… I know he did." The Exsphere in his hand glowed blue, a testament to his words if only he knew it. "How can I blame my dad? He… Well, I…" He sighed. "I did the same thing… With Marble… She turned into a monster… I killed her… It's not the same, it can't ever be the same, I don't think I could raise my sword to any of my friends…" He looked up at Kratos. "I think that's why. He loved her so much… He couldn't stand to see her suffer… With no other way… I've seen no way… He gave her all he could. Maybe it killed him in the end, or… Well, I don't know why he didn't come for me, but… I still love him. And I don't blame him at all!" A smile somehow formed itself on Kratos' face.

"Lloyd," he started, and Lloyd looked up at him. "Last night, I asked you if you were afraid of death. You told me that you were not afraid to die." Lloyd nodded, uncertain where this was going. "But you could not kill someone to save their soul, or the life of another, if it was someone you loved." Lloyd frowned, clearly confused now. "Fear of death and fear of dying are not the same thing," Kratos clarified. "I will admit to you freely that I am afraid of death, of both kinds. What you must do in order to become strong is conquer that fear… I know that you want to save Colette from her eventual fate. But even if you cannot, you cannot let it destroy you. There are many kinds of death. Physical death is just one of them. You can also die inside." He turned away, looking out over the rain-clouded horizon, at the tall white tower still visible despite that, stretching up beyond the limits of the sky, a reminder of everything they were there for. "Do not let yourself break, no matter what happens. Promise me that."

"I promise," Lloyd responded softly. "I promise… If you'll promise the same." Kratos turned back to him, surprised. "I'll stay alive," he vowed. "I'll stop this, I'll find a way! But I want _you_ to do the same!" Kratos couldn't help but chuckle at that, a reaction which clearly surprised the teen.

"If you can reach the end of your own journey with all of those you value still around you, still alive…" He started, putting one hand on his shoulder and making him look at the mercenary in wonder. "Then you will be stronger than anyone else I have ever met. But if there is one person who could do it… I believe it could be you." Lloyd grinned at that.

"Don't stay out in the rain too long," he warned. "I don't know if angels get sick or anything, but it's not good for you." His grin widened. "Ha, now I sound like the Professor!" He turned away. "Thanks, Kratos." Kratos shook his head at the teen as he scrambled down the mountain path, and turned his back on him once more, looking out into the rain and wondering.

* * *

"Lloyd," Forcystus greeted when the teen made his way back into the Inn, so sodden that he left a wet trail along the floor, and a wet patch on the wooden chair he flopped down into. "The others are upstairs. Here." He threw a towel at Lloyd, which hit him square in the face, much to the teen's dismay. "Dry off as much as you can, else Raine will kill you."

"It's warm out," Lloyd remarked once he'd peeled the towel from his face, grinning in his usual way. Forcystus laughed slightly, noting just how like Kratos' hair Lloyd's got when wet. "Doesn't seem to bother Kratos, though." He tried to towel his hair off somewhat. "Does he always get philosophical when it rains?" Forcystus shook his head with a laugh.

"No, he just…" He started. "Well, he's been through a lot these past few days. As have you." Lloyd nodded absently.

"Forcystus," he asked, pausing in towelling his hair to look properly at the half-elf, "what's going to happen to Colette?" Forcystus bit his lip.

"Well… The journey of Regeneration, it's…" He started, uncertain. "You're worried about Colette, I understand that. But if she wants to do this, let her. It is her choice, and she understands what will happen. I won't interfere, and neither should you."

"You won't interfere because you're afraid of Cruxis," Lloyd grumbled. "Isn't there another way? Please, Forcystus, you know about this! About Cruxis, about the Regeneration…" Forcystus shook his head with a sigh.

"Lloyd, the only other way would be to reunite the worlds and release the Great Seed, a task which is impossible for you," he responded. "No, don't give me that look," he continued, seeing Lloyd glare. "The worlds were split with the Eternal Sword, which is bound to Yggdrasill. You'd have to kill its seal to release Origin from the pact, and even if you could form a new one with a summon that has suffered four thousand years of mistrust and betrayal… Only half-elves can use the sword." Lloyd looked up at him.

"You're a half-elf," he murmured softly. Forcystus grimaced at that.

"Then think about the other items in the list. Origin resides in Tethe'alla, for Kharlan's sake!" Lloyd sighed.

"I guess… You can't get us there, huh?" He remarked. Forcystus shook his head with a slight smile.

"No, I cannot," he responded. "Currently, only Cruxis has that technology. And the Renegades." Lloyd frowned.

"Maybe…" He started, but Forcystus shook his head vehemently.

"No, Lloyd, we are not seeking help from the Renegades," he told him sternly. "And that is my final word on it. Besides, they'd kill Colette as soon as look at her. They're opposed to the World Regeneration." Lloyd sighed.

"You and Kratos are both the same," he complained. "You always try to find the problems so we _don't_ do something. There has to be a way! We'll get to Tethe'alla somehow; we'll find a way to get the Eternal Sword, anything! Whatever happens, I won't let Colette lose who she is!" He slammed one fist into his other hand determinedly. "And I don't care how much of Cruxis I have to go through to do it."

"You couldn't go through half of Cruxis on your own," Forcystus responded bluntly as Lloyd stood up. "You are no match for Lord Yggdrasill." Lloyd glared at him.

"I won't be on my own," he responded. "I've got all of you to help me. Right?" Forcystus made an uncomfortable noise.

"…Right," he agreed. "Of course you do." Lloyd gave him a long look, then sighed and trailed up the stairs to the sleeping area, still dripping water everywhere he went.

* * *

**A/N -** I read a book called "Blue Light" once. It was about a man who was hiking in the desert and got transported to another planet courtesy of the titular light. It was a good book.

Hopefully Kratos' wings aren't in the habit of doing that, however XD

COMMENTS AND CRITIQUE GREATLY APPRECIATED. Thank you all ^^


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